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Outbreaks of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) have become more prevalent in recent years, driven primarily by sexual transmission (JW AIDS Clin Care Aug 8 2011). Timely identification of acute infection in this population is important but also challenging, because most case patients are asymptomatic and screening guidelines are inconsistent.
In the present study, researchers used a computer-simulation model to compare 10 different strategies for screening HIV-infected MSM for acute HCV infection. The strategies involved liver function tests (LFTs), HCV antibody testing, and HCV RNA polymerase chain reaction assays at various intervals, as well as symptom-based evaluation. All the men …