Virus risk in a brush and a kiss

By MAXINE FRITH

The potentially fatal hepatitis C virus can be passed on more easily than doctors had thought, says a study published this week.

Researchers have found traces of the virus in the saliva of people infected with hepatitis C, meaning it could be contracted from simple acts such as kissing or sharing a toothbrush.

Millions of people with gum disease could be particularly at risk, the scientists said.

Around 400,000 people in Britain have hepatitis C.

Of these, 90 per cent do not know they are infected because they have no symptoms.

Around one in five sufferers get rid of the virus without experiencing any problems, and 40 per cent of the rest can be cured with combination drug therapy.

But in some patients, the virus remains in the body and can cause fatal liver damage.

The virus is carried in the blood and can also be caught through sexual contact.

Researchers at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents in Chicago now say that infected people carry the virus in their saliva.

Scientists from the University of Washington in Seattle tested the saliva of 12 people who were infected with hepatitis C every day for 21 days.

Of the 248 samples taken, 52 or one in five tested positive for the virus.

Traces were found in the saliva of seven of the volunteers.

Those most likely to have traces of the virus in their saliva had relatively high levels of the virus in their body.

The virus was also more likely to be in saliva if the volunteer had gum disease, possibly because bleeding gums were leaving tiny drops of blood in the saliva.

"This study suggests that the saliva of individuals infected with hepatitis C may be infectious," the study said.

"Microscopic amounts of blood in the saliva due to gum disease may be responsible.

"People with HCV (hepatitis C virus) are cautioned not to share toothbrushes with other people in the household."

The findings suggest the virus could also be spread from kissing.

Basil Williams, chief executive of Britain's National Hepatitis C Resource Centre, said more research was needed to determine if it was possible to catch the virus from kissing.

He said: "It is technically possible to catch hepatitis C from kissing, but the risk appears to be very small."

- INDEPENDENT