How long can the HIV virus survive outside the host?

I came accross a news from a forwarded e-mail: a 10-year old boy diagnosed with HIV positive. But his entire family were negative. Finally the doctor traced that the source of the virus is from a pineapple vendor who is a HIV positive, cut his finger while preparing the pineapple slice. And the boy got this virus by eating the contaminated pineapple.

Can HIV virus spread in this way?

It's highly unlikely that the virus would be spread this way, though I wouldn't say absolutely impossible.

The virus would have to survive contact with the acidic pinapple and survive on the pinapple for however long it took the boy to eat it. Once in the boy's mouth it would have to remain alive until it can find a way into the blood stream.

There is ONE documented case of the virus being transmitted via a deep, mouth to mouth kiss. It should be noted that the infector and infectee both has gum disease, and had very recently brushed their teeth, causing bleeding and thus passage ways into the blood stream to open up.

There are many cases where the path of infection was not dicernable. This isn't to say it occured in a not so unusual way, such as unprotected sex, but people have a tendancy to withhold things from doctors. I think it's unlikely that they would persue investigations as far as suspecting a pinapple vendor, so this is probably an urban legend.

Here is a document citing unusual, but rare, suspected routs of transmission of HIV.

still ... how long can the virus survive outside a body? tricky question, it all depends on the environment it's in at one point, but this answer doesn't give any clues at all about that; i'd very much like to know the answer to the original question! Report It

I highly doubt that that's very likely, but I guess it could be possible in a long shot. Normally it only lasts as long as it takes for the blood or other bodily fluids to dry up (about an hour maybe). Although to eat something, you would think his stomache acid would have killed it, unless he had a lot of deep, bleeding cuts in his mouth. Wouldn't he have seen the blood on the pineapple anyway?? I sure as heck would've!

My guess is that he was really molested by somebody, or came in contact with it somehow and was just afraid to admit it, and the pineapple vendor just happened to be the first connection they made with the virus.

yes it might, but the chance of getting it like that is extremely rare!

I suppose it's possible...if the boy had an open sore in his mouth and got a significant amount of blood on his pineapple.

HIV is actually a pretty fragile virus, and cannot live outside of body fluid for very long. And I'm pretty sure the acid in the pineapple would kill the virus relatively quickly.

I never like to say never...it's bad science. But I think this is highly unlikely.

Depends on how soon he ate the pineapple but I think as long as the blood remains undried as it would be on a pineapple slice it is possible

answer is yes. The virus is acid labile, so it would have to get in through the oral mucosa. But the story you give is complete bullshit. There would have been no way to track down the source of the infection. The most likely explanation for a 10 year old boy to be hiv+ with hiv - parents, no history of ivda, and no history of sex given , is he was sexually abused, sodomized by an HIV+ man to be precise. Second most likely is he is iv drug user

survival about 20 sec.

was it my question u saw?

personally, i dont believe its true.
it could well be that the blood got into the pineapple less than an hour b4 the boy ate it, but i think the acid in the pineapple should have killed the virus, and also, HIV has not been known to infect a person through the alimentary canal. furthermore, the symptoms of AIDS are mostly manifested 6months after infection....

no of course

That is a long shot. but never say never. The boy needs to be examined by a doctor thoroughly.

No, the acid in pineapple would almost certainly distroy most proteins including the viral acids and the acids in the stomach would get rid of what is left. That is assuming the HIV managed to stay in liquid and at the temp of blood. RNA will break apart if it drys or changes temp too much.

That would be the most rediculous idea I've ever heard. How many tests have been ran? If it is one I suggest having him retested.