Can HIV Survive Outside?

[Umnarj Paeratakul]

rsiegel at concentric.net wrote:
>Can HIV survive outside the body (on an environmental surface for
>example)? If so, for how long. Does anyone know if there are any
>published studies/articles on this? 
>

>snip...

Dear friend,

The answer is yes.  I remember watching BBC documentary
on HIV about a year ago, and the bottom line is the 
virus can sit on the table top at room temperature for 
one week!

The best reference I can give you is  MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY

by DAVE GREENWOOD, RICH BLACK and JOHN PEUTHERER  14TH EDITION

1992  by ELBS/Churchill Livingstone  page 628

at room temperature = up to 15 days
at 37'C  = up to 10-15 days
over 60'C = virus is inactivated by 100 fold each hour.

the book also says that 

"it must be emphasized that these are the limits of 
survival, as the starting titers of virus were much
greater by a factor of 1000 times more than the levels 
found in blood or patients.  However, they do indicate 
the need for cleanliness in dealing with HIV"

Hope my 2 cents helps

Umnarj Paeratakul
Srinakharinwirot Univ.
Bangkok, Thailand.