Can I get Oral Herpes with a spit?

[jap123]

Hello  
I want to thank you and congratulations for the fantastic forum, I have spent hours reading the posts and learned a lot about HSV. 

About a week ago an episode happened that left me a little nervous and that brought me a lot of doubts about the transmission of Oral Herpes (HSV-1). 

I have never had any herpes symptoms in my entire life. I therefore conclude that I do not have the virus. However last week I was drinking a beer with a friend who is carrying HSV-1, in fact had a sore on the lip but that already showed to be almost healed. During our conversation I felt the spit hit me on the lip and I went to the bathroom to wipe my lip with water. After this situation I had many doubts; 

1. With the situation I have described is it possible to get herpes? 

2. From what I read in the forum, so that there is transmission of herpes through kissing because there is "friction" of mucous membranes, am I right? 

3.Just touching someone's saliva with oral herpes does not transmit the virus? 

4. After a people contract oral herpes, the first symptoms appear after 2-12 days right? So if after that period does not have any symptoms it means that I was not infected? 

5. To perform a blood test to detect herpes antibody, do you have to wait how long after the infection for reliable results? 

Thanks for your atention

[ManOutOfMind]

This is a difficult question to answer because the virus is tricky and doesn't always present in "obvious" ways, so just because you don't get a glaringly obvious cold sore in 2-20 days doesn't mean you haven't caught the virus. A large percentage of people have either very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all after catching the virus. I for instance have never had an obvious cold sore or genital outbreak, so I don't really know where or when I was infected.

You also can get the infection from sharing with people. Cigarettes, blunts, bowls, bongs, drinks, silverware, etc. If it went in someone else's mouth and then in yours then there is risk. The risk is lower than if you were to kiss that person of course, but still risk. 

The only way you can know for sure if you don't have it already is with an IgG blood test for HSV1. If you take a test now and you don't return positive then that likely means you don't already have it (or that the test missed it, which apparently happens up to 25% of the time with HSV1). If you test positive for IgGs already then that means you very likely already had it and just never showed any symptoms.

If you test negative, then you should wait 3-4 months and test again, if you are still negative, you're good. If not, you got it, there's really no middle ground.

Good luck

[jap123]

1 hour ago, ManOutOfMind said:

This is a difficult question to answer because the virus is tricky and doesn't always present in "obvious" ways, so just because you don't get a glaringly obvious cold sore in 2-20 days doesn't mean you haven't caught the virus. A large percentage of people have either very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all after catching the virus. I for instance have never had an obvious cold sore or genital outbreak, so I don't really know where or when I was infected.

You also can get the infection from sharing with people. Cigarettes, blunts, bowls, bongs, drinks, silverware, etc. If it went in someone else's mouth and then in yours then there is risk. The risk is lower than if you were to kiss that person of course, but still risk. 

The only way you can know for sure if you don't have it already is with an IgG blood test for HSV1. If you take a test now and you don't return positive then that likely means you don't already have it (or that the test missed it, which apparently happens up to 25% of the time with HSV1). If you test positive for IgGs already then that means you very likely already had it and just never showed any symptoms.

If you test negative, then you should wait 3-4 months and test again, if you are still negative, you're good. If not, you got it, there's really no middle ground.

Good luck

Thanks for your help,

But I have read that to have transmission of the virus is necessary to have direct contact enters my mouth and the mouth of someone infected.

So I small drop of saliva ( infected or not) in my lip, is enough to transmit oral herpes?  Notice that I immediately washed my lips with water.