Cocaine sharing crack pipe dangers

[jfloyd]

Whilst looking for coke last night, I took a hit on a glass crack pipe that was offered to me by a homeless man. I've done this one other time before and dont intend to make a habbit of it. My question is, are there any BBV dangers such as HIV associated with crack pipe sharing? Are there any other infection dangers that I should worry about?

 

[kleinerkiffer]

Afaik there are no documented cases of HIV being transmitted by saliva, even though HIV is present in saliva
But the hepatitis B virus can be transmitted by saliva and I'm sure there are other diseases that can be transmitted by saliva

 

[Bearlove]

Herpes can be passed pretty easily via Saliva, straws, pipes, cigarettes if the person has an outbreak at the time. I 'think' that Hep B needs to enter your blood stream so kissing or sharing a pipe without any cuts in your mouth, lips isn't that much of a risk.

A lot of the diseases need an entry point to your body (open sores) so if your mouth is not cut and you don't have open cuts on your lips then this reduces the risks.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

^That's the case for Hep C

Infectious Diseases in Saliva

Infectious diseases are spread through several routes of transmission. “Oral transmission” refers to spreading of microbes through saliva, foods or drinks. When a person accidentally consumes microbe-contaminated items, such as saliva during kissing, the swallowing action of the tongue wipes the microbes against the back of the throat, allowing the microbe to enter the body. Infections, such as mononucleosis (the kissing disease), caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) are spread via oral transmission from virus-containing saliva.

Other infectious microbes that spread through saliva do so by sticking to the inner surface of the cheeks and mouth, the tongue, or teeth. An example is the bacterium Streptococcus, which can cause an array of infections, including gum disease and strep throat.

An important thing to keep in mind is that the surfaces of the respiratory tract (nose, mouth, and throat) are continuous and made up of similar tissues.

As a result, microbes that are found in the saliva can generally be found in other parts of the respiratory tract, including the nose and throat. Therefore, even colds and flus (and other respiratory infections) can potentially be spread through the saliva.
Infectious Diseases from Mouth Sores

Cold sores
Cold sores are caused by Herpes Simplex Virus-1 (HSV-1).

In contrast to infections spread through the saliva, HSV-1 is spread through open cold sores on the lips or near the mouth. Although the infection is contagious through all stages of a cold sore, the infection is most contagious when the sore is open and leaking fluid.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease
Hand, foot, and mouth disease, caused by Coxsackie virus, is another infectious disease that is spread through open sores in the mouth. This infection is common in kids, especially those in daycare or preschool settings. It spreads primarily via the fecal-oral route, a common problem among daycares, since changing of diapers goes on all day.

But canker sores are not infectious.
In contrast to cold sores and coxsackie virus blisters, canker sores have no infectious disease origin and cannot be spread through the saliva or kissing.
What about HIV and Hepatitis B Virus?

HIV and hepatitis B Virus (HBV) are blood-borne and sexually-transmitted infections that have been found in the saliva. Despite the presence of HIV in saliva, there have never been any reports of HIV transmission via this route.

In contrast, transmission of hepatitis B virus through saliva has been well documented. Meanwhile, Hepatitis A requires some form of fecal exposure (which would include contaminated water or anilingus) and Hepatitis C requires blood exposure. It's therefore possible that Hep A or C could be transmitted through kissing if there are open sores or remnant fecal matter in the mouth, but extraordinarily unlikely.

https://www.verywell.com/kiss-of-deathor-diseases-1958924

 

[Bentoboxed]

The least of your worries would be HIV, I remember sometime during school in a science class we watched a documentary as you do - to contract HIV through saliva alone you would need to consume a ridiculous amount of the other persons saliva - I remember it being about as much as doctors recommend you drink a day.

Anyways you're awfully brave sharing a pipe with a homeless dude. I can't see myself ever doing that - but then again I am a clean freak.