catching something from an open wound?

[typeB-md]

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how likely is it to catch something from an open wound? say if i were to have my arm rub against an open wound and some blood wiped off on my arm.

thx.

 

[doc05]

theoretically, yes, if you also have an open wound.

But why are you rubbing against open wounds in the first place??

 

[Janders]

how likely is it to catch something from an open wound? say if i were to have my arm rub against an open wound and some blood wiped off on my arm.

thx.

There is no way to tell without assuming a lot of things.
How much blood?
Where did it get on you? (eyes, skin, mouth, big toe)
What are you afraid of?
Does the patient have HIV/Hep C/Alien Blood Worms?
Is the skin on your arm intact? Or is the skin on your arm covered with oozing ulcers?
Did you lick it clean, or wipe it off with an alcohol wipe?


Assuming the skin on your arm is intact, and a small smear of blood was wiped on it, blood born pathogens (say HIV) have an extremely small chance of getting to your blood stream in sufficient concentration to infect you. By extremely small, I mean under 1%. Way under. Thats what your skin is for, protecting you! And thats why we say they are transmitted by fluids, not arm-wipes and toilet seats.

Now if they have something superficial, like scabbies or tinea, your odds go up. But still, a simple brush won't transmit much. And those aren't deadly.

*legal disclaimer* please don't go touching open wounds now.

 

[jonb12997]

yep.. you're gonna get a staph aureus necrotizing facitis... you might as well cut off your arm now to save you self the pain later... 😉

 

[adennis]

yep.. you're gonna get a staph aureus necrotizing facitis... you might as well cut off your arm now to save you self the pain later... 😉

LOL, it's probably more likely that your intact skin would infect that person's open wound with something... we have SOOOO much that lives on our skin..

In my limited pathological expertise though, I'd agree with everybody else.. your chances of contracting something from someone with an open wound while your skin is intact are probably very small.