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“Harm reduction” programs, including needle exchange, have lowered rates of new HIV infection among drug users. However, rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remain high, and, in fact, intravenous drug use is considered to be the prime engine driving this persistent infection in the U.S.
To examine the mechanics of HCV transmission from dirty needles, investigators constructed a model using a genetically modified HCV laboratory strain, in which indicator enzymes allowed for estimates of viral viability and infectivity. After HCV-spiked blood was ejected from an insulin syringe with a permanently attached needle (the kind of apparatus now routinely sold in the U.S.), little viable virus persisted beyond 1 day. However, when the same exp…