HPV16 positive is usually not transmitted through saliva. HPV16 belongs to a high-risk type of human papillomavirus, mainly causing lesions such as genital warts as a sexually transmitted disease; it may also cause cervical infection in females, leading to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and even cervical cancer. Generally, HPV16 is mainly present in external genitalia, as well as in female vagina and cervix, and does not enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. Therefore, HPV16 is usually not present in the patient’s saliva, so there is no possibility of saliva transmission.
However, in special cases, some patients may have lesions caused by HPV infection inside the oral cavity, including lesions like genital warts inside the mouth. These lesions contain a lot of HPV16, which can shed and mix into saliva, making the saliva infectious. If another person comes into contact with it and the contact area has minor skin abrasions or cracks, the HPV16 virus can infect local epithelial cells, ultimately leading to the other person developing HPV16 infection.
