%0 Journal Article
%T Sexual transmission of hepatitis C virus
%A TENGAN F¨˘tima Mitiko
%A ELUF-NETO Jos¨¦
%A CAVALHEIRO Norma de Paula
%A BARONE Antonio Alci
%J Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de SŁżo Paulo
%D 2001
%I Instituto de Medicina Tropical
%X In order to contribute to a better understanding of the forms of acquisition of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Brazil, with special emphasis on sexual transmission, we determined the presence of HCV infection in regular partners and in non-sexual home communicants of blood donors seen at Funda  o Pr¨®-Sangue Hemocentro de S o Paulo from January 1992 to July 1996. Of 154 blood donors with HCV infection (index cases), 111 had had regular partners for at least 6 months. Sixty-eight of 111 partners were evaluated for HCV infection. Of these, 8 (11.76%) were considered to have current or previous HCV infection; a history of sexually transmissible diseases and index cases with a positive HCV-RNA test were more prevalent among partners with HCV infection. Of the 68 index cases whose partners were studied, 56 had non-sexual home communicants. Of the total of 81 home communicants, 66 accepted to be evaluated for HCV infection. None of them was HCV-positive, suggesting that the high prevalence of HCV infection among partners may be attributed at least partially to sexual transmission.
%K Hepatitis C
%K Hepatitis C virus
%K Transmission
%K Sexual transmission
%K Prevalence study
%U http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-46652001000300003