Covert transmission of hepatitis C virus during bloody fisticuffs

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is transmitted primarily through direct percutaneou s exposure to infected blood, Sporadic HCV cases exist and may represent mo re than 10% of HCV transmission, We report the first case of documented tra nsmission of HCV during a fight from a person who unknowingly had chronic H CV infection to a person who subsequently contracted acute hepatitis C, Pat ient-to-patient transmission was ascertained by sequence analysis of part o f the NS5B genome and phylogenetic analysis. This case report suggests that sporadic HCV infection may be a result of blood exposure. This example of transmission could have a major impact in sports such as boxing or rugby, W e suggest that in any fight, single use or nondisposable material should be used to dry blood to avoid such contamination.