Re: Does HIV Infection Favor the Sexual Transmission of Hepatitis C?

[Guest guest]

Hi Claudine:

I just wanted to say, We from the Natl. HCV March on

Washington(www.delphi.com/March_On_DC) really

appreciates all your efforts in helping & serving the

whole HCV Community! And thank you for what promotion

you have done for the march.

Happy New Year & GOD BLESS: Norm Seiff

--- claudine intexas <claudineintexas@...>

wrote:

> NATAP - www.natap.org

> ---------------------------------

>

> Does HIV Infection Favor the Sexual Transmission of

> Hepatitis C?

>

> Editorial note from Jules Levin: For a while I have

> been trying to draw attention to the

> underappreciated

> risk of sexual transmission of HCV in other than

> monogamous HIV-, STD-negative relationships. Without

> knowing further details of this study it adds to a

> growing body of evidence suggesting there is a risk

> of

> HCV sexual transmission under certain circumstances:

> when HIV, STDs & risky sexual behavior which may

> draw

> blood unknowingly.

>

> Filippini P, Coppola N, Scolastico C, Rossi G,

> Onofrio

> M, Sagnelli E, Piccinino F.

>

> Institute of Infectious Diseases, Second University

> of

> Naples, Naples, Italy.

>

> BACKGROUND: There are widely discrepant findings on

> the sexual transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV),

> commonly transmitted by the parenteral route.

> Coinfection with HCV is common in subjects infected

> with HIV.

>

> GOAL: This case-control study evaluated the

> prevalence

> of anti-HCV in subjects with hetero- or homosexual

> contact and no history of intravenous drug abuse or

> blood transfusion, according to the presence or

> absence of HIV infection.

>

> STUDY DESIGN: In this case-control study, the cases

> considered were 106 consecutive patients who showed

> positive anti-HIV test results. For each case, two

> control subjects were selected who had been screened

> for HIV infection at the authors' center and found

> to

> have anti-HIV-negative test results, and who matched

> the case in terms age (+/- 5 years), gender, and

> risk

> factor for parenterally transmitted infections.

>

> RESULTS: The prevalence of subjects with positive

> test

> results for hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg) was

> similar between cases and control subjects (4.7%

> versus 2.4%). Positivity for anti-hepatitis B core

> antigen in connection with negative test results for

> HBsAg was observed more frequently in the 106 cases

> than in the 212 control subjects (33.9% versus

> 15.6%;

> P =0.0003). Anti-HCV positivity was more frequent in

> the cases than in the control subjects (15.1% versus

> 5.2%; P = 0.005). In particular, among subjects who

> had hetero- or homosexual intercourse with a steady

> partner who had positive anti-HIV test results,

> anti-HCV positivity was observed in 18.7% of the 32

> cases and 1.6% of the 64 control subjects (P =

> 0.008).

>

>

> CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that in subjects

> who had only a sexual risk factor for parenterally

> transmitted infections, HIV may enhance the sexual

> transmission of HCV.

>

>

>

> __________________________________________________

>