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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is generally transmitted via exposure to contaminated blood. Although sexual transmission is thought to be relatively uncommon, several HCV outbreaks have recently been reported among men who have sex with men (MSM). Now, investigators describe the factors associated with acute HCV infection among HIV-infected MSM.
Between 1999 and 2005, acute HCV infection was diagnosed in 111 HIV-infected MSM at three London-area HIV clinics. Only 7% of the men were icteric at the time of diagnosis; the rest were asymptomatic and were diagnosed with HCV infection upon evaluation of abnormal serum transaminase levels or by routine screening. Phylogenetic analysis of viral sequences suggested multiple independent transmission events s…