Hepatitis C virus: evidence for sexual transmission.

Tedder, Richard S.; Gilson, Richard; Briggs, Moya; Loveday, Clive; Cameron, C.H.; Garson, Jeremy A.; Kelly, Gabrielle; Weller, I. V. D.

doi:10.1136/bmj.302.6788.1299

Cited by 139 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The most comparable study, by Okamoto and coworkers (4), examined 10 sets of primers and found that those derived from the 5' NC and the putative core gene region were equivalent in their ability to detect HCV RNA in 10 anti-HCV-positive sera from Japanese individuals. Other studies have demonstrated enhanced detection of HCV RNA with primers from the 5' NC region compared with those specific for other regions (6,39,40). Although these studies did not specifically address the factors discussed above, the results suggest that primers from the 5' end of the HCV genome are effective at detecting HCV RNA by PCR analysis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Several groups have examined the effectiveness of different primer sets in detecting HCV RNA by PCR (4,6,13,14,34,(39)(40)(41). The most comparable study, by Okamoto and coworkers (4), examined 10 sets of primers and found that those derived from the 5' NC and the putative core gene region were equivalent in their ability to detect HCV RNA in 10 anti-HCV-positive sera from Japanese individuals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Importance of primer selection for the detection of hepatitis C virus RNA with the polymerase chain reaction assay.

Bukh

Purcell

Miller

1992

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

250

115

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We compared four primer sets from conserved regions of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome for their ability to detect HCV RNA in a "nested" cDNA polymerase chain reaction assay on sera from 114 anti-HCV antibodypositive individuals from around the world. The different primer sets had equivalent sensitivity, detecting <1 chimpanzee IDSO (dose that infects 50%) when tested against reference strain H of HCV. We tested equal amounts of RNA extracted from the serum of each individual with the four primer sets. The set derived from two highly conserved domains within the 5' noncoding (NC) region of the HCV genome, which also share significant similarity with Pestivirus 5' NC sequences, was the most effective at detecting HCV RNA. AU samples positive for HCV RNA with any other primer set were also positive with the primer set from the 5' NC region, and the latter was at least 3 times more likely to detect HCV infection than a primer set from within the nonstructural protein 3-like gene region (P < 0.001). We had no false positive results in >500 negative controls interspersed among the test samples. The 5' NC region primer set detected HCV-specific RNA, verified by highstringency Southern blot hybridization and DNA sequencing, in 100% of 15 acute and 33 chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis patients from the United States, Europe, and Asia, and 10 hepatocellular carcinoma patients from Africa and Asia that tested negative for the hepatitis B virus-encoded surface antigen. In conclusion, use of an appropriate primer set is crucial for detecting HCV RNA in the serum of infected individuals.Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a positive-stranded RNA virus that appears to be the etiological agent of most posttransfusion non-A, non-B (NANB) hepatitis cases (1-3). Amplification of HCV RNA sequences by reverse transcription and cDNA polymerase chain reaction (cDNA PCR) is the only practical method currently available to demonstrate viremia in patients with HCV infection (3-14). However, genetic heterogeneity among different HCV strains (15-27) results in false-negative results in cDNA PCR assays because of primer and template mismatch. Therefore, to develop a reliable PCR assay for the diagnosis of HCV infection, we designed primers from conserved regions of the HCV genome (15,(28)(29)(30) and tested their ability to detect HCV RNA in a nested cDNA PCR assay in serum from 114 anti-HCV antibodypositive individuals from around the world. The results emphasize the importance of primer selection for the detection of HCV RNA. MATERIALS AND METHODSWe tested serum samples from 114 individuals from 12 countries (Denmark,

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of primer selection for the detection of hepatitis C virus RNA with the polymerase chain reaction assay.

Bukh

Purcell

Miller

1992

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

250

115

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although a study published in the early 1990s suggested that a higher prevalence of HCV infection in MSM (6.9%) compared with heterosexual subjects (1.0%) attending a genitourinary clinic in London was strong evidence of sexual transmission of HCV among MSM, the study did not account for a history of injection drug use. 18 A larger, more recent study in genitourinary clinics in the United Kingdom, using similar methods, found a low prevalence of anti-HCV among non-IDU, with the anti-HCV prevalence in MSM not significantly different from non-MSM (0.92% vs. 0.75%, PR 1.23; 95% CI 0.76, 1.98). 19 The prevalence of HCV infection among MSM in STD clinics has generally been found to be no higher than among heterosexuals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Antibody in Men Who Have Sex with Men Who Do Not Inject Drugs

et al. 2007

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Objective. It is well documented that injection drug users (IDUs) have a high prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV). Sexual transmission of HCV can occur, but studies have shown that men who have sex with men (MSM) without a history of injection drug use are not at increased risk for infection. Still, some health-care providers believe that all MSM should be routinely tested for HCV infection. To better understand the potential role of MSM in risk for HCV infection, we compared the prevalence of antibody to HCV (anti-HCV) in non-IDU MSM with that among other non-IDU men at sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counseling and testing sites in three cities.Methods. During 1999-2003, public health STD clinics or HIV testing programs in Seattle, San Diego, and New York City offered counseling and testing for anti-HCV for varying periods to all clients. Sera were tested using enzyme immunoassays, and final results reported using either the signal-to-cutoff ratio or recombinant immunoblot assay results. Age, sex, and risk information were collected. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.Results. Anti-HCV prevalence among IDUs (men and women) was between 47% and 57% at each site, with an overall prevalence of 51% (451/887). Of 1,699 non-IDU MSM, 26 (1.5%) tested anti-HCV positive, compared with 126 (3.6%) of 3,455 other non-IDU men (prevalence ratio 0.42, 95% confidence interval 0.28, 0.64). Conclusion.The low prevalence of anti-HCV among non-IDU MSM in urban public health clinics does not support routine HCV testing of all MSM.

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“…Although HCV viral RNA has been detected in the semen, the role of sexual, perinatal, and other possible nonparenteral routes of HCV transmission is still unclear (7)(8)(9), but from the available evidence this risk appears to be minimal (10). Indeed, even in the presence of acute infection, semen viremia is extremely low as evaluated by PCR (11)(12)(13)(14), suggesting a low risk of sexual transmission.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive Performance of Couples Discordant for Hepatitis B and C Following IVF Treatment

Pirwany

Phillips

Kelly

et al. 2004

J Assist Reprod Genet

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Purpose : To examine the reproductive performance of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) discordant couples following IVF-ET. Methods : A retrospective cohort study of 25 IVF-ET cycles in HBV and HCV discordant couples was performed. Thirteen patients in the study cohort were discordant for HBV (10 males and 3 females), and 12 (9 males and 3 females) for HCV. Twenty-seven consecutive age matched patients comprised the control group. All patients underwent controlled ovarian hyperstimulation using the long downregulation protocol followed by IVF or ICSI. Results : Patients in the three groups (HBV, HCV, and controls) had similar ages, and day 3 FSH concentrations. Despite comparable response to COH, and similar fertilization, and cleavage rates in the three groups, couples discordant for HBV or HCV had significantly poorer implantation and pregnancy rates (7.7%, 0% respectively) compared with controls (41%). Conclusions : Despite comparable response to COH, HBV and HCV positive discordant couples, have significantly lower implantation and pregnancy rates compared with age-matched controls.

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Hepatitis C virus: evidence for sexual transmission.

Cited by 139 publications

References 10 publications

Importance of primer selection for the detection of hepatitis C virus RNA with the polymerase chain reaction assay.

Importance of primer selection for the detection of hepatitis C virus RNA with the polymerase chain reaction assay.

Low Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Antibody in Men Who Have Sex with Men Who Do Not Inject Drugs

Reproductive Performance of Couples Discordant for Hepatitis B and C Following IVF Treatment

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