how long does hep c live outside the body?

Hi I wanted to know if Hep C has ever been transfered through a nail cutter or any other STDS....and also...how long does hep c last on the surface of a nailcutter...my fiance has hep c and I used her nail cutter...but wasnt sure if there was blood on it and my mom used the same one..and its got me really worried...thanks

[GreatBird]

Did you or your mom bleed? HCV is transmitted blood to blood. If neither of you bled, transmission was impossible.

I shared everything with family for years until I found out I had HCV. They didn't get it.

[Bill1954]

I’ve never heard of any documented incidents of transmission via nail cutters, but it’s intuitively possible. I believe HCV can exist intact on environmental surfaces for up to 72 hours; possibly more.’

I heartily agree with GreatBird; I was married for nearly twenty years with this disease, and my wife and children all test negative for the disease. Use common sense with HCV; don’t share toothbrushes, and stay clear of blood; you should be fine.

Take care--

Bill

[remix99]

thanks guys! I was not sure if me or my bleed while cutting our nails..but i can confirm my mom used the nail cutter around 1 week after my fiance had used it..is that still a risk or can i say its non existant

[m_strings]

Per the CDC:

"How long does the hepatitis C virus survive outside the body?

The hepatitis C virus can survive outside the body at room temperature, on environmental surfaces, for at least 16 hours but no longer than 4 days."

Retrieved March 17, 2009 from http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/cFAQ.htm.

[m_strings]

PS: From what I've read, it sounds like your mother should be safe!  

[nygirl7]

BTW Hep C is not an STD - just so you know.

The virus can live for DAYS outside of the body so technically you could pass it that way. Just like an addict using a needle one day could pass it to another person the next day - it woulnd' necessarily have to be on the needle itself it could be on the plunger.

[oneatenuff]

Hi Remix, unless she had bloody nails when she used the clippers and you or your mom used them within a few days after and cut yourself using her clippers, the chances of transmission of hep C from her to you through those clippers is probably about zero.  

There is no other STD you can get through nail clippers.

The CDC has not "classified" hepatitis C as a sexually transmitted disease (like gonorrhea or syphilis or HIV / AIDS) but they do have guidelines  (MMWR)  that added a "revised discussion concerning the sexual transmission of hepatitis C"  in 2006.    

Quote

"These guidelines for the treatment of persons who have sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were developed by CDC after consultation with a group of professionals knowledgeable in the field of STDs who met in Atlanta, Georgia, during April 19--21, 2005. The information in this report updates the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines, 2002 (MMWR 2002;51[No. RR-6]). Included in these updated guidelines are an expanded diagnostic evaluation for cervicitis and trichomoniasis; new antimicrobial recommendations for trichomoniasis; additional data on the clinical efficacy of azithromycin for chlamydial infections in pregnancy; discussion of the role of Mycoplasma genitalium and trichomoniasis in urethritis/cervicitis and treatment-related implications; emergence of lymphogranuloma venereum proctocolitis among men who have sex with men (MSM); expanded discussion of the criteria for spinal fluid examination to evaluate for neurosyphilis; the emergence of azithromycin- resistant Treponema pallidum; increasing prevalence of quinolone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in MSM; revised discussion concerning the sexual transmission of hepatitis C; postexposure prophylaxis after sexual assault; and an expanded discussion of STD prevention approaches."

Link:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5511a1.htm

If you go the link above and want to read only about hep C, keep scrolling - it's about a 1/3 of the way down.  You'll eventually get to it  (long set of guidelines.)  

Some of what the guidelines say under the hepatitis C section

"HCV is most efficiently transmitted through large or repeated percutaneous exposure to infected blood (e.g., through transfusion of blood from unscreened donors or through use of injecting drugs), although less efficient, occupational, perinatal, and sexual exposures also can result in transmission of HCV.

The role of sexual activity in the transmission of HCV has been controversial. Case-control studies have reported an association between acquiring HCV infection and exposure to a sex contact with HCV infection or exposure to multiple sex partners. Surveillance data also indicate that 15%--20% of persons reported with acute HCV infection have a history of sexual exposure in the absence of other risk factors (204,208). Case reports of acute HCV infection among HIV-positive MSM who deny injecting-drug use have indicated that this occurrence is frequently associated with other STDs (e.g., syphilis) (209,210). In contrast, a low prevalence (average: 1.5%) of HCV infection has been demonstrated in studies of long-term spouses of patients with chronic HCV infection who had no other risk factors for infection, and multiple published studies have demonstrated the prevalence of HCV infection among MSM who have not reported a history of injecting-drug use to be no higher than that of heterosexuals (211--213). Because sexual transmission of bloodborne viruses is more efficient among homosexual men compared with heterosexual men and women, the reason that HCV infection rates are not substantially higher among MSM compared with heterosexuals is unclear. Overall, these findings indicate that sexual transmission of HCV is possible but inefficient. Additional data are needed to determine whether sexual transmission of HCV might be increased in the context of HIV infection or other STDs. "

You may want to read that entire section (on hepatitis) just to familiarize yourself, or you might just want to forget about worrying about it and find comfort in the fact that there are many people here with the virus who can attest they did not transmit the virus to their lovers after years and years of sex or to any family member and that the CDC and their panel of experts believe that sexual transmission of hep C is very rare based on studies so far and/or if transmitted at all it is believed to be confined to a certain population.  

Good luck to you.  

[remix99]

thanks guys...much appreciated it...

[jorkha]

I have Hep C and have for well over 20 years. As to your comment HCV is not a sexually transmitted disease....depends. It can be sexually transmitted if one of you has any place in or on your body that is exposing blood. If you have a rash and it happens to lose blood and your partner has any kind of wound that the blood can get into, you can get HCV.

[jorkha]

I have Hep C and have for well over 20 years. As to your comment HCV is not a sexually transmitted disease....depends. It can be sexually transmitted if one of you has any place in or on your body that is exposing blood. If you have a rash and it happens to lose blood and your partner has any kind of wound that the blood can get into, you can get HCV.

[henry109]

What are the chances of contracting Hep C from a store-bought sex toy ? (even if washed with soapy water first ?)
I have heard stories that some of these items have been used and made their way back onto the shelf (differing sets of circumstances) and that Hep C virus can survive in microscopic specks of blood (not visible to the human eye) for many days and that it is a very hardy virus (resilient to bleach etc).
I would think the chances are low but enough to niggle in back of one's mind.