Do all body fluids carry blood-borne pathogens?
Body fluids such as tears, sweat, saliva, urine and vomit are not thought to carry blood-borne pathogens unless they are visibly contaminated with blood. (However, urine or fecal material may contain bacteria or infectious agents that are not considered blood-borne pathogens.) Most other body fluids can transmit blood-borne pathogens. This includes semen, vaginal secretions, pericardial fluid (fluid around the heart), peritoneal fluid (fluid in the lining of the abdomen and pelvis), joint fluid, amniotic fluid (fluid around an unborn baby during pregnancy), pleural fluid (fluid in the lungs) and cerebrospinal fluid (fluid in the brain and spinal cord).
