RSS Feeds
Risk for Non-A, Non-B (Type C) Hepatitis through Sexual or Household Contact with Chronic Carriers
- James E. Everhart, MD;
- Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, MD;
- Linda M. Murray, RN;
- Harvey J. Alter, MD;
- Jacqueline J. Melpolder, MT;
- George Kuo, PhD; and
- Jay H. Hoofnagle, MD
Excerpt
Transmission of non-A, non-B hepatitis through parenteral exposures, including drug abuse, blood transfusion, and occupational injury with a needle contaminated with blood is well documented (1). Other means of non-A, non-B hepatitis transmission must occur, since at least 50% of patients do not have a history of parenteral exposure (2, 3). Personal contact as a route of infection has been reported (4), but not shown conclusively, and the actual risk for such transmission is unknown.
Recently, the genome of the hepatitis C virus (HCV), the major agent that causes non-A, non-B hepatitis, has been isolated (5). Antibody to hepatitis C
This 100-word excerpt has been provided in the absence of an abstract.
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments: The authors thank Ms. Jeanne Waggoner for laboratory determinations and Ms. Yoon Park for assistance in subject enrollment.
Article and Author Information
-
From the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; and the Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, California. For current author addresses, see end of text.
-
Requests for Reprints: James Everhart, MD, Room 106, Federal Building, 7550 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20892.
-
Current Author Addresses: Dr. Everhart: Room 106, Federal Building 7550 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Drs. Di Bisceglie and Hoofnagle and Ms. Murray: Liver Diseases Section, Digestive Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Dr. Alter and Ms. Melpolder: Department of Transfusion Medicine, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Dr. Kuo: The Chiron Corporation, 4560 Horton Street, Emeryville, CA 94608.
