Transmission of Hepatitis C Virus from a Patient to an Anesthesiology Assistant to Five Patients

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Abstract
Prevention and treatment of infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV) remain a major challenge.1 The main source of HCV infection in developed countries was formerly transfusion of contaminated blood and blood products but is now injection-drug use.2-4 In general, a potential risk factor can be established for about 90 percent of all cases of HCV infection.3 One way of contracting HCV may be transmission from infected medical personnel to susceptible patients during medical care. Provider-to-patient transmission of HCV is rare, and in most cases HCV-positive surgeons are the probable source.5-7 We studied an outbreak of HCV in a municipal hospital. Our findings suggest that an anesthesiology assistant contracted HCV from a chronically infected patient and subsequently transmitted the virus to five other patients.