Chronic hepatitis C virus carriers may have no symptoms or signs of liver disease despite detectable viremia and histological hepatitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of HCV- RNA in Saliva and semen, taken from symptom-free HCV carriers, to establish whether viral load or pathological severity exert any influence on the detectability of HCV-RNA in saliva or semen. Moreover, parteners of HCV-infected individuals who had HCV- RNA in saliva and semen will be evaluated for HCV-infection. Matched sera, saliva and semen (from13 males) sariiples, from 25 individuals with persistent (> 6 months) anti-HCV positivity, were examined for HCV-RNA by reverse- transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Viral titer was quanititated in the serum of viremic individuals by using branched DNA signal amplification. 'Also, liver biopsy specimens were taken from viremic patients. Ten sexual partners (6 females and 4 males) were screened for anti- HCV antibodies over a period of 10 months. Out of the 25 studied individuals 20 had HCV-RNA in their sera. Of the 20 viremic subjects HCV-RNA was detected in saliva and semen in 11 (55%) and 2 (15.38%) subjects respectively. Viral titer was significantly higher in individuals with HCV-RNA in saliva and semen than in those without (13.6 ± 4.21 x 105 eq / ml versus 3.6 ± 0.75 105 eq / ml and 15.685 ± 4.8 105 eq / nil versus 8.275 ± 2.73 x 105 eq / ml). HCV-RNA positivity in the sera, saliva and semen were unrelated to hepatitis activity index score or transaminase levels. Anti-HCV was positive in one of six sexual partners of subjects with HCV-RNA in' saliva and in 1 / 4 of those without (P = Ns). Anti- HCV was not detected in sexual partners of the two subjects with HCV-RNA in their semen. In conclusion, the degree of viral load in serum is directly related to the viral expression in saliva and semen. Extra precautions should probably be exercised with those patients. Further studies aiming at finding out the ability of disease transmission via such body fluid is recommended. |
