Horizontal transmission of hepatitis B virus among players of an American football team.
Eleven cases of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (5 cases of acute hepatitis B and 6 of subclinical infection) were detected among 65 members of our university's American football team during a period of 19 months. All tested positive for antibody to the hepatitis B surface antigen (HB(s)Ag) or core antigen (HB(c)Ag). The incidence of HBV infection among team members (20.4%) was significantly higher (P<.001) than among students who tested positive for antibody to HB(s)Ag throughout the university (1.8%). We also detected a single carrier of hepatitis B e antigen (HB(e)Ag) on the team. Analysis of HB(s)Ag subtypes in 3 of 5 players with acute hepatitis B indicated that their subtype (adr) was identical to that of the HB(e)Ag carrier. All players with acute hepatitis B belonged to the same training group, which also included the HB(e)Ag carrier. Our analysis suggests that horizontal transmission of HBV can occur even in a sports team, probably due to contact with open wounds during training.
Tobe
K
K
Health and Medical Center, Okayama University, Tsushima Naka 2-1-1, Okayama 700-8530, Japan.
Matsuura
K
K
Ogura
T
T
Tsuo
Y
Y
Iwasaki
Y
Y
Mizuno
M
M
Yamamoto
K
K
Higashi
T
T
Tsuji
T
T
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D005260:Female; D005538:Football; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000635:transmission*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens