Can you get HIV from kissing? Saliva, biting and spitting

Why saliva doesn’t spread HIV

HIV passes between people in blood, semen and pre-seminal fluid, vaginal fluid, rectal fluid and breast milk. Saliva is not on that list. CDC states plainly that HIV is not transmitted through saliva.

That’s why the calculator treats kissing as no risk, whoever the other person is and whatever their HIV status.

Closed-mouth kissing

There is no risk. CDC says you cannot transmit HIV through closed-mouth kissing. A peck, a kiss on the cheek or a kiss on the lips is in the same category as a hug.

Deep or open-mouth kissing

Deep kissing carries almost no risk. CDC notes that, very rarely, HIV has been passed on through open-mouth kissing when both partners had sores or bleeding gums, so that blood, not saliva, was involved.

Put in context, several things would all need to happen. The other person would need to have HIV and not be on effective treatment. There would need to be blood in their mouth, and an open sore or bleeding in yours. Normal kissing, even with a lot of saliva, doesn’t come close.

If you brushed or flossed hard beforehand, or you have a mouth ulcer, that doesn’t turn a kiss into a meaningful exposure. A kiss on its own isn’t a reason for PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis).

Biting

CDC lists biting as negligible risk. Transmission from a bite is rare and has needed blood or body fluids to come into contact with broken skin, a wound or a mucous membrane. A bite that doesn’t break the skin carries no risk.

If you were bitten hard enough to bleed, by someone who had blood in their mouth, wash the wound with soap and water and get medical advice the same day. If PEP is needed, it must start within 72 hours.

Spitting

Being spat on carries no risk of HIV. This is true even if the saliva lands in your eyes or mouth, because saliva doesn’t transmit the virus.

Shared drinks, food and utensils

Sharing a glass, a straw, a fork or a bite of food doesn’t spread HIV. The only documented pattern involving food is a rare one: a caregiver with HIV had blood in their mouth that mixed with food they pre-chewed for a baby, who then ate it. That is not something that happens between adults sharing a meal.

What can carry risk alongside kissing

People often worry about a kiss when something else happened too. Look at each part separately:

• Oral sex carries a low risk. With a partner who has HIV and isn’t on treatment, it’s about 0.01% (about 1 in 10,000) per act. More on oral sex and HIV.
• Vaginal or anal sex without a condom carries more risk. For receptive vaginal sex with a partner who has HIV and isn’t on treatment, it’s about 0.08% (about 1 in 1,200) per act.
• Blood in your eyes, mouth or a fresh cut is covered in blood exposures.

What to do now

If the only thing that happened was kissing, including deep kissing, there’s nothing urgent to do and PEP isn’t needed. If you’ve never had an HIV test, CDC recommends everyone aged 13 to 64 get tested at least once. A test can also settle your mind.

If sex was involved as well, and it happened in the last 72 hours with someone who has HIV or whose status you don’t know, ask about PEP today. PEP works best when started within 24 hours and is taken for 28 days. How to get PEP

If the worry keeps coming back even though the risk was zero, you are not alone. The HIV anxiety page has practical steps, and the list of no-risk contact may help settle it.