Transmission.

[PinPinPatrick]

How likely is Hepatitis C to be transmitted sexually?

[comeagain]

How likely is it  when somone post this type of question the poster is up to something "funny"?

ca

[Bill1954]

Gotcha; thanks!

[HCA]

Your new friends posting history is worth perusing!

[Bill1954]

Here’s a study that explores sexual transmission that I had pinned to favorites:

1: Am J Gastroenterol. 2004 May;99(5):855-9


http://tinyurl.com/258a2l

"Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
The risk of sexual transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was evaluated among 895 monogamous heterosexual partners of HCV chronically infected individuals in a long-term prospective study, which provided a follow-up period of 8,060 person-years. Seven hundred and seventy-six (86.7%) spouses were followed for 10 yr, corresponding to 7,760 person-years of observation. One hundred and nineteen (13.3%) spouses (69 whose infected partners cleared the virus following treatment and 50 who ended their relationship or were lost at follow-up) contributed an additional 300 person-years. All couples denied practicing anal intercourse or sex during menstruation, as well as condom use. The average weekly rate of sexual intercourse was 1.8. Three HCV infections were observed during follow-up corresponding to an incidence rate of 0.37 per 1,000 person-years. However, the infecting HCV genotype in one spouse (2a) was different from that of the partner (1b), clearly excluding sexual transmission. The remaining two couples had concordant genotypes, but sequence analysis of the NS5b region of the HCV genome, coupled with phylogenetic analysis showed that the corresponding partners carried different viral isolates, again excluding the possibility of intraspousal transmission of HCV."

Bill

[PinPinPatrick]

Thank you Bill... So I guess blood-to-blood contact is really the only method of transmission...  Really really really rough sex where both people are bleeding... anal sex is more likely, or sex during menstration.  

And so hepatitis C is not present in sexual fluids?  It must not be then.  I like the blood-to-blood contract way of looking at it.  

[Bill1954]

While sexual transmission of HCV is possible, it’s thought to be very unlikely. It’s vectored by blood-to-blood contact; and it’s not suggested that monogamous couples where one partner is infected to change their lifestyles, or use condoms for protection. It is very unusual to transmit in the absence of trauma; also males that have sex with males are thought to have a higher risk of infection as well.

Bill