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HCV Seroconversions (hcv + seroconversion)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

Acute hepatitis C in HIV-infected men who have sex with men

HIV MEDICINE, Issue 4 2004
J Ghosn
Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is usually transmitted via the parenteral route, but there are widely discrepant findings on its possible sexual transmission. Thus there are no recommendations concerning protected sex for couples in which only one partner is HCV-infected. Whether HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases could favour HCV transmission remains unclear, but recent data suggesting an increasing incidence of acute HCV in HIV-infected men underline the major public health implications of this issue. Case reports Between June 2002 and July 2003, five HIV-infected homosexually active men presented with primary (n=4) and secondary (n=1) syphilis and concomitant abnormal liver function tests revealing acute asymptomatic HCV seroconversion. Other causes of acute viral hepatitis were inquired into and excluded. Highly at-risk sexual behaviour, including unprotected anal intercourse and unsafe oral sex, with concomitant syphilis, was found to be the only identifiable important risk factor for transmission of HCV. Conclusions Sexual transmission may be fuelling a significant increase in HCV seroconversions among HIV-infected men who have highly risky sexual behaviours. Given the recent data suggesting the spread of sexually transmitted infections among HIV-infected gay men, specific recommendations concerning safe sex are urgently needed. [source]

Estimating population attributable risk for hepatitis C seroconversion in injecting drug users in Australia: implications for prevention policy and planning

ADDICTION, Issue 12 2009
Handan Wand
ABSTRACT Objective To determine risk factors and estimate their population-level contribution to hepatitis C virus (HCV) burden. Methods Established and potentially modifiable risk factors were estimated using partial population attributable risk (PARp) in a cohort of new injecting drug users (IDUs) in Sydney, Australia. Results A total of 204 hepatitis C seronegative IDUs were recruited through street-based outreach, methadone clinics and needle and syringe programmes (NSPs) and followed-up at 3,6-monthly intervals. A total of 61 HCV seroconversions were observed during the follow-up [overall incidence rate of 45.8 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval: 35.6,58.8)]. Overall, five potentially modifiable risk factors (sharing needles/syringes, sharing other injecting equipment, assisted injecting, frequency of injection and not being in drug treatment) accounted for approximately 50% of HCV cases observed. Conclusion While sharing needles/syringes or other injecting equipment were associated most strongly with increased risk of HCV infection, the PARp associated with these behaviours was relatively modest (12%) because they are relatively low-prevalence behaviours. Our analyses suggest that more HCV infection could be avoided by changing more common, but less strongly associated behaviours such as assisted injecting or daily injecting. Results suggest that to have a very substantial effect on HCV, a range of risk factors need modifying. The most efficient use of scarce resources in reducing HCV infections will require complex balancing between the PAR for a given risk factor(s), the efficacy of interventions to actually modify the risk factor, and the cost of these interventions. [source]

Acute hepatitis C in HIV-infected men who have sex with men

HIV MEDICINE, Issue 4 2004
J Ghosn
Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is usually transmitted via the parenteral route, but there are widely discrepant findings on its possible sexual transmission. Thus there are no recommendations concerning protected sex for couples in which only one partner is HCV-infected. Whether HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases could favour HCV transmission remains unclear, but recent data suggesting an increasing incidence of acute HCV in HIV-infected men underline the major public health implications of this issue. Case reports Between June 2002 and July 2003, five HIV-infected homosexually active men presented with primary (n=4) and secondary (n=1) syphilis and concomitant abnormal liver function tests revealing acute asymptomatic HCV seroconversion. Other causes of acute viral hepatitis were inquired into and excluded. Highly at-risk sexual behaviour, including unprotected anal intercourse and unsafe oral sex, with concomitant syphilis, was found to be the only identifiable important risk factor for transmission of HCV. Conclusions Sexual transmission may be fuelling a significant increase in HCV seroconversions among HIV-infected men who have highly risky sexual behaviours. Given the recent data suggesting the spread of sexually transmitted infections among HIV-infected gay men, specific recommendations concerning safe sex are urgently needed. [source]

Lack of de novo hepatitis C virus infections and absence of nosocomial transmissions of GB virus C in a large cohort of German haemodialysis patients

JOURNAL OF VIRAL HEPATITIS, Issue 4 2009
R. S. Ross
Summary., To determine the prevalence and incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among haemodialysis patients, a large prospective multicentre trial was conducted in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Sera obtained from the recruited patients in two separate sampling rounds run 1 year apart were analysed for both anti-HCV antibodies and HCV RNA. HCV RNA positive samples were also genotyped by direct sequencing of an HCV core fragment. In the first and second rounds, 150 (5.2%) of 2909 and 114 (5.4%) of 2100 patients were anti-HCV positive, respectively, and 4% of individuals were viraemic. Evaluation of potential risk factors in a case,control study indicated that the factors ,foreign country of birth', ,blood transfusions given before 1991' and ,duration of treatment on haemodialysis' were associated with the risk of HCV infection. Among the 2100 patients of whom ,paired' serum samples from both rounds were available for testing, not a single ,de novo' HCV infection could be recorded. The fact that in a subset of about 20% of these patients no nosocomial GB virus C (GBV-C) transmission occurred during the observational period suggests that the lack of HCV seroconversions was not only attributable to the isolation of HCV-infected patients but also to the strict adherence to so-called universal hygienic precautions for infection control maintained in the participating dialysis centres. [source]