Transmission of hepatitis B by human bite--confirmation by detection of virus in saliva and full genome sequencing.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be detected in saliva of carriers and epidemiological studies suggest human bite as a possible route of transmission. We report a case of acute hepatitis B that developed after an individual with learning difficulty was bitten by a fellow resident in a sheltered accommodation. The attacker was found to be a chronic carrier of HBV and virus was present in his saliva. The HBV in both men had identical genotype and sequence. Future studies are warranted to investigate the role of saliva as a vehicle of HBV transmission in the community.
Hui
Alex Y
AY
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 9/F Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China. alexyhui@yahoo.com
Hung
Lawrence C T
LC
Tse
Pete C H
PC
Leung
Wai-Keung
WK
Chan
Paul K S
PK
Chan
Henry L Y
HL
D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D001734:Bites, Human; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012463:Saliva / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA