Memorandum on the infections hazards of the common communion cup with especial reference to aids
✍ Scribed by D. Kingston
- Publisher
- Springer
- Year
- 1988
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 673 KB
- Volume
- 4
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0393-2990
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Bacteriologi.cal studies on t.he communion cup have shown that there is a low level of contamination with mouth organisms on the rim. The death rate of bacteria on the cup surface would not be signi#icant, but the wine had a bactericidal effect on most but not all organisms tested. Ho,wever droplets of saliva did not readily mix with the wine. In considering the spread of AIDS, extensive studies of people infected with human immuno.de~iciency virus (HIV) in hospital o r at home have shown that the established routes of spread are the injection of blood or blood products, sexual intercourse or at bir~h. There are only very rare examples of spread by other means. The virus is rarely isolated from the saliva and a study .of homosexuals indulging in oral sexual ,intercourse suggests that 'it is very poorly infectious when taken into the mouth or swallowed. It is .concluded that tbe risk of transmission of HIV by the common communion cup can be neglected under ordinary circumstances. Suggestions are made for improving the hygiene of the communion service which may be useful under special circumstances: there is no evidence that disease is spread ~in this way under normal conditions.