How big does a cut have to be?

[liverpoolfan10]

How big does your cut have to be to transmit HIV if you touched HIV infected blood? Theoretically, if someone had shallow, 2cm (length) cut on their palm of their hand and they touched HIV infected blood and it got on their cut, is that enough to transmit the virus.

Or does the cut have to be deeper and the virus needs to enter the bloodstream? Also, does alot of blood need to be exchanged to infect?

Thanks, last question to easy my worries on an environmental surface (I know... no risk, but i would like to know the scenario that WOULD lead to a probable transmission. Once again thanks for all the support this forum has showed me.

[royallee209]

The great thing about the human body is that the skin is a great barrier against foreign particles.  Being made up of 7 layers, a shallow cut usually means that the underlayers of your skin have already started to heal.  Chances are to get HIV via cut, you need buckets of infected blood and must dip your said cut in it for a couple hours for a possibility of being infected, if it even came in contact with your bloodstream in the first place.  

There's no data about how much HIV is needed to infect someone.  

You should be fine.