Is hepatitis transmitted through kissing? Is it possible to become infected with various forms of hepatitis through saliva? Where can you get infected?

Infection with hepatitis C immediately raises the question of how the disease is transmitted, in particular, transmission through saliva during kissing. The risks of becoming infected in this way are negligible, but they cannot be excluded.

Main routes of transmission

Infection through saliva

Infection through saliva, as a rule, does not occur. Many studies claim that hepatitis C cannot harm a healthy person through kissing. This is because the concentration of transmissible hepatitis C units in body fluids is extremely low and is not enough to infect another person. However, research in this area is still being conducted and doctors do not believe that the risk of infection does not exist at all. Facts have been made public that hepatovirus is a fairly small virus, so at the height of the disease its concentration in 1 ml of blood is much higher than that of the immunodeficiency virus, for example. This fact once again proves the danger of hepatitis C and the high possibility of it entering the body of a healthy person.

Mechanism of transmission through mucous membranes

The hepatitis C virus can enter the body through saliva if a person’s oral cavity is damaged. Therefore, hepatitis C can theoretically be transmitted through a kiss. Usually, most people do not have such injuries, but with a banal wound from biting the cheek or with stomatitis that has not yet healed, the saliva of an infected person can get into the open wound. Of course, the risk of infection in this way is extremely low, since there must be an obvious bleeding area through which the virus can enter the systemic circulation. However, if we consider that for hepatitis C infection it is possible to transmit only a few units of the virus, then the doctor still advises to be extremely careful in all contacts with a person with hepatitis C.

What determines the risk of infection?

People living with a sick person are wondering whether it is possible to become infected with hepatitis C through saliva? The risk of contracting hepatitis C primarily depends on biological fluids – blood, saliva, semen. The highest concentration of the virus is found in the blood, but hepatovirus may also be present in saliva.

The concentration of the virus depends primarily on the stage of development of the disease. As is known, when hepatovirus C enters the body, a person acquires only a small amount of it. The body of an already infected patient produces new viral units in geometric progression.

Interesting fact: A person infected with hepatovirus produces about a trillion viral particles per day.

Once in the liver cells, hepatovirus C actively reproduces copies of itself in the cells, which are found in the blood of a sick person. For example, even more than 2 million copies of the virus can be detected in 1 ml of blood. This means that the disease is progressing and has acquired a complex chronic course, and the sick person is especially contagious to others. Naturally, with this development of the disease, the level of virus in saliva also increases.

How to avoid infection?

To avoid infection, a high social responsibility of the patient to others is necessary. Knowing your status, first of all, you need to limit intimate communication, and when sexual contact use a condom. People living near the patient should be careful not to come into contact with blood and body fluids, including saliva. If there are any wounds in oral cavity they need to be treated without allowing contact with an infected person at this time. The disease is easier to prevent than to treat, and any thoughtless behavior and neglect of basic safety rules can be costly to others.

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It appears no earlier than 4 weeks from the moment of infection. Next, nonspecific symptoms of the disease appear - slight dizziness, a slight gradual decrease in body weight, a slight increase in temperature, a barely noticeable lightening of the stool and darkening of the urine.

This symptomatology is often confused with colds or the consequences of nervous strain, and periodic mild discomfort in the liver area is attributed to poor quality or too fatty foods.

Few people think about viral hepatitis because of the prevailing opinion that one can only become infected through blood and during sexual contact with an infected person. Is it possible to become infected with hepatitis C through saliva and airborne droplets, what are the dangers of untimely treatment or its absence?

Features of the disease

The main feature is that the immune system has a chance to cope with the virus only at the acute stage, lasting 3-4 weeks from the end of the incubation period, which lasts 2-5 weeks. In 30% of cases, the virus is destroyed and antibodies are produced that remain in the body throughout life. In 70%, the disease enters the chronic stage with the following course options.

Latent state of the virus lasting 20 years or more; virions can be detected using PCR; ELISA is usually negative; after the manifestation of specific symptoms - discoloration of stool, darkening of urine, pain in the right hypochondrium radiating to the scapula - complications of cirrhosis or cancer.

Drowsiness after eating, pulsation in the right hypochondrium appear 2-3 weeks after the onset of chronicity - 1.5-2 months after infection; the most favorable option is a high probability of early diagnosis.
Pronounced symptoms 2-3 weeks after infection; no acute stage; death within 5-12 months from the moment of infection from cirrhosis is an autoimmune form.

Main routes of transmission

The main concentration of the virus is in the blood, lower in semen. In saliva - 2% of the average content in the blood.

Important! In most cases, it is impossible to determine the route of transmission. At the chronic stage, using a combination of ELISA, PCR and biochemical analysis blood, the moment of infection is determined with an accuracy of six months. When choosing optimal therapy, the moment and route of infection are not particularly important.

Watch a video about the modes of transmission of hepatitis C:

Where can you get infected?

There is a 50% chance of becoming infected in places where drugs are taken on a large scale if the same syringe is used. For the average patient, the highest degree of risk in heavy industry, meat and fish cutting plants, vegetable warehouses is a high probability of cuts, microcracks - infection when the recipient comes into contact with raw materials, parts that contain particles of the carrier’s blood.

Beauty salons and medical institutions have a low risk due to hepatitis preventive measures, which are included in the internal regulations and safety regulations.

Can hepatitis be transmitted through saliva?

Recent studies conducted by scientists at the University of Washington have proven the presence of hepatitis C virus in saliva. The concentration is 50 times lower than in the blood. The exact ratio of concentrations for different courses of the disease is not known.

The highest risk of infection is if the recipient and carrier have diseases of the oral mucosa, leading to bleeding gums, the formation of microcracks on the gums and palate.

Considering that the virus can remain viable in human saliva for up to 4 days, when the pH in the gastrointestinal tract is below 4, the probability of infection is high.

Is the hepatitis C virus transmitted by airborne droplets or household contact?

The only method of transmission known today by airborne droplets is the contact of infected saliva on a fresh wound or mucous membrane of the recipient's eye. This also applies to household transmission. The virion can exist on blood particles outside the human body for up to 7 days.

Increased risk factors

The main factor is weak immunity. Other factors.

Increased blood acidity caused by liver or gallbladder disease.
Taking medications that accelerate the synthesis of the CYP3 A4 isoenzyme: immunosuppressants, tetracycline antibiotics, antipsychotics, anticoagulants, digoxin.
Folk remedies with chamomile - thins the mucous membrane - decreases immunity.
Taking toxic medications without simultaneously taking hepatoprotectors.
Drug addict.
Combination of drugs and or folk remedies based on immortelle and alcohol.
Frequent combination of herbal balms and sedatives.
Abuse of contraceptives – enlargement of vaginal pores.
Abuse of dairy products containing fungi, as well as kombucha and bread fungus.

The first signs of the disease

The main symptom is an increase in liver volume. Other.

Change in body weight is about 30%.
Swelling of the extremities, usually the legs from the knee to the thigh.
Increased sweating, pungent odor of sweat.
Partial loss of fertility.
Slight pallor after eating.
Periodic hiccups.

Attention! Signs should be understood as the external manifestations of the disease.

After visiting catering establishments, rinse your mouth and hands with 200 ml of solution cold water 1 person salt and a slice of lemon. Cover the lemon with salt, crush it, add warm water, stir. If this is not possible, use a bactericidal mouth rinse. Wash your hands with bactericidal soap.

When washing dishes, use salt, soda, citric acid or chlorine-containing products.

Do not use non-disposable devices in salons.

If there are cuts from a hair clipper, use an infusion of celandine. Heat 200 ml of alcohol until hot in a water bath. Add 1 tsp. celandine. Leave for 48 hours. Reheat again. Strain.

Do not use unpacked injection needles. Make sure there are no cuts or microcracks on the skin. 2 tbsp. l. Heat the pork fat and butter in a water bath. According to 6 tbsp. l. add fresh finely chopped plantain and aloe to the hot mixture. Leave in a warm place for 24 hours. Heat, strain. Thoroughly squeeze the plants through cheesecloth.

Reference! Masks are applied to clean skin. After cuts, the blood should drain.

How dangerous is the disease?

Hepatitis C is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The disease can occur either in an acute form, lasting several weeks, or become chronic, accompanying a person for the rest of his life.

The main way the virus is transmitted is through contact with the blood of an infected person.

The most common methods of transmission of infection today:

insufficient processing of medical instruments;
transfusion of untested blood and its components.

Most people infected with the virus develop complications such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.

About 140,000,000 people worldwide currently suffer from a chronic form of hepatitis C. Every year, half a million people die from hepatitis C and related complications worldwide.

Although antiviral drugs can treat about 90% of people with hepatitis C in the early stages of the disease, access to diagnosis and treatment of the disease remains low. To date, vaccination against the disease has not been used. Research in this area can be considered inconclusive.

Hepatitis C is called the “silent killer” because it is practically asymptomatic. About 30% of infected people spontaneously recover from the virus within 6 months of infection, without any treatment. The remaining 70% of people develop chronic hepatitis. And after 20 years, with a probability of up to 20% - cirrhosis of the liver.

Methods of infection

There are currently four reliable ways of transmitting the virus:

The hepatitis C virus is not transmitted in any other way, for example, through water, food, or carried by insects and animals.

The virus antigen can be found in all human secretions. However, only blood, vaginal and menstrual fluids, and semen can be considered infectious.

However, the virus can still be contained in saliva, albeit in minimal quantities and only at the height of the disease. But it has not yet been established with 100% certainty whether you can become infected with the hepatitis C virus through a kiss or oral sex.

Let's try to figure it out. It is reliably known that transmission of infection occurs primarily through percutaneous exposure of infected fluids to the body of a healthy person.

Percutaneous exposures that result in transmission of hepatitis C virus include:

Sexual and perinatal transmission of the C virus usually results from mucosal contact with infected blood and body fluids.

Infection can occur through household items such as toothbrushes, baby bottles, toys, razors, cutlery, and hospital equipment through contact with mucous membranes or open skin lesions.

Hepatitis C is the most common liver disease nowadays.

Despite the fact that the main method of infection is blood-to-blood contact, experts admit that other ways to become infected with hepatitis C are possible. The greatest interest for many people who are in constant contact with an infected person is the possibility of transmitting hepatitis C through saliva (kissing).

The concentration of the hepatitis C virus in one drop of infected blood will be significantly higher than, for example, the concentration of HIV in the same infected drop. This is because this virus is one of the smallest DNA viruses and therefore has a very high infectious load. This is why it is so important to avoid contact with objects that may be contaminated and contain very minimal amounts of infected blood.

All body fluids, be it urine, semen, vaginal/cervical fluids, feces or saliva, can be contaminated with blood to some extent due to injury or illness and pose a risk of infection.

Below is a list of groups of people who may primarily be carriers of the virus:

children born from sick mothers;
children younger age in kindergartens;
people who have sexual/domestic contact with infected people;
healthcare workers;
patients and staff in hemodialysis centers;
people who inject drugs;
people who have used unsterile medical or dental equipment.

Mechanism of infection and prevention

The hepatitis C virus is extremely small. Measurements showed that it is about 50 nanometers in diameter. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. 200,000 hepatitis C viruses, located one after another, are only one centimeter in length.

People with hepatitis C produce about one trillion new viral particles in their bodies every day.

Unlike many other viruses (for example, HIV), any potential source of blood is capable of carrying the hepatitis C virus.

This even applies to indirect sources, such as a used razor, which makes the hepatitis C virus much more aggressive than most other blood-borne viruses.

Laboratory studies have shown that hepatitis C is approximately seven times more contagious than HIV infection.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Flaviviridae family. Significant advances in understanding the mechanisms of HCV infection have been made with the development of a cell culture system that reproduces the complete cell cycle of the HCV virus in vitro.

Hepatitis C virus represents a new paradigm in the interactions between the virus and its target cell, the human hepatocyte, due to the central role of lipoproteins in the HCV life cycle.

Very low density lipoproteins are required for viral particle assembly and subsequent secretion. Once released, the infectious virus circulates in the blood as triglyceride-rich particles and infects cells through lipoprotein receptors (complex blood plasma proteins).

A feature of the virus is a high degree of gene mutation, which complicates the diagnosis of the disease.

Up to 14 identified various options genes and more than 60 of their subtypes. It is the type of HCV gene that determines the course of the disease, its transition to a chronic form and subsequently the development of cirrhosis and liver cancer. On this moment The most dangerous genovariants are considered to be 1b and 4a.

How to prevent infection?

A vaccine for hepatitis C is under development. But following simple steps can protect a person from becoming infected with HCV:

So, can you get hepatitis through a kiss? Deep, prolonged kissing usually involves the exchange of large volumes of saliva and can lead to hepatitis C infection, especially if there are cuts or abrasions in the mouth of the infected person.

In almost half of hepatitis C cases, infected people cannot determine the source of their infection. It is known for sure that in most cases this is due to infected blood.

But other modes of transmission of hepatitis C remain unclear. Transmission of the virus through saliva is one of possible options infection.

The risk of contracting hepatitis C through saliva is not as high as through direct contact with the patient’s blood, but you should not forget about preventing the disease.

Literally two centuries ago, no one knew about a malicious enemy that could kill a person from the inside. Now more than 50% of the population are trying to overcome the well-known hepatitis C. This disease shows its insidiousness by the fact that it begins to manifest itself in the last stages of the disease. It is very difficult to detect this virus when it has just entered and began to spread in the body.

A viral infection not only weakens the immune system, it leads to cirrhosis of the liver, so if timely treatment is not started, it can end in death. To avoid possible infection, you need to know how hepatitis C is transmitted from person to person.

How is hepatitis C transmitted?

Hepatitis C is a virus that causes inflammation of the liver. Very often it is referred to as the “gentle killer”, since its symptoms are almost invisible. This is the most dangerous disease, because doctors have not found a way to deal with it. Therefore, many are concerned about the question of how viral hepatitis C is transmitted.

You can get a severe infection:

Drugs
Untreated tools in nail salons,
Tattoos made by non-professionals
Transfusing infected blood
Not complying simple norms hygiene.

There have been cases where hepatitis was contracted in medical institutions, in which all sanitary rules are violated. Therefore, take seriously the question of which medical center you will receive care at.

How to establish the fact of infection?

If a person is sick with hepatitis, timely consultation and bypass will help detect the disease on early stage. This is very good, since, for example, AIDS is hidden until it becomes complicated.

To find out if you are a carrier of hepatitis, you need to take a blood test that will show whether you have hepatitis C antibodies. After this, the doctor prescribes a special examination, since the resulting analysis may not provide accurate information.

The most frequently asked questions about hepatitis C transmission

Many who have hepatitis C (in fact, correctly - hepatitis C) ask different questions, for example.

Although hepatitis C is an incurable disease, how long can a person live with this disease?

To answer this question, many factors must be taken into account, such as age, course of treatment, physical condition of the person, presence of bad habits and additional diseases of the person.

Can you get hepatitis C through saliva?

No, this disease is transmitted in a different way.

Is there a chance of getting an infection during sexual intercourse?

If you do not use preventive measures, there is a chance that you will become a carrier of hepatitis C.

Is hepatitis C a frequent visitor to beauty salons?

It is in such places that this enemy rages. Since hepatitis C is transmitted through blood, experienced cosmetologists carefully treat all instruments not only with alcohol, but also with other special means.

For reference! Ask to process the instruments in front of you, as poorly disinfected scissors may contain dried blood in which the virus lives.

Is hepatitis similar to the flu, which is transmitted through airborne droplets?

Hepatitis C agents cannot be transmitted this way.

What to do if your close relative has had hepatitis C, but has YBS antigens in his blood?

In this case, you need to be vaccinated against the virus, and your relative needs the help of an infectious disease doctor.

Knowing which ways of infection with hepatitis C and being on the safe side in time, you will never become infected with this disease.

Is it transmitted sexually?

There is a low chance of hepatitis C being transmitted through sexual contact and it is 5%. By always using condoms, the likelihood of the disease attacking your body is reduced to zero.

Also, if a person has many sexual partners, the risk that someone will infect him with an incurable virus increases. Therefore, having one sexual companion, you will not only strengthen your relationship, but also protect yourself from various diseases.

Important! You cannot have sex with a woman during her menstrual cycle.

Is it transmitted through a kiss?

It can be said that hepatitis C cannot be contracted through saliva. This conclusion was made by experts, since hepatitis is not found in saliva, but in case of chronic illness they are found in small quantities.

Although it is very difficult to become infected with this virus through saliva, the patient needs to take care of his gums and teeth. If there is any bloody sores in the mouth, the blood can get into the saliva and be passed on to another person.

Advice! Make it a rule for yourself to visit the dentist regularly so as not to accidentally infect your close friends.

Is it passed on from father to child?

If a man has chronic viral hepatitis C, when conceiving a child, he cannot transmit this disease to the unborn baby. Doctors discovered that there was no virus in the sperm. If the mother is healthy, then the fetus will also be healthy.

Nowadays, medicine has reached such a level that it is able to vaccinate an infant and prevent the future development of hepatitis.

Although a father cannot infect his unborn child, a mother can. There are two ways to transmit the virus from woman to child:

During childbirth, when the mother's blood enters the baby's body,
During feeding or improper care of the baby.

Nevertheless, even if in the family it is the father who suffers from this disease, the pregnant woman is advised to undergo a thorough examination and be under the supervision of a doctor.

Is it passed on from husband to wife?

Most people believe that this disease is only transmitted through sexual intercourse, but in fact, this is a myth. A man’s sperm cannot infect a woman, but if during sexual intercourse mucous lesions are formed that bleed and the partners did not use a condom, then hepatitis C will easily penetrate to a healthy person.

Although a man's semen contains a small amount of infectious antibodies, it is likely that hepatitis will be passed on to his wife. Therefore, by taking precautions, you will protect your wife from acquiring a “gentle killer.”

How is viral hepatitis C transmitted?

The most common route of infection with hepatitis C is through blood. It is in the blood that the merciless virus rages. How quickly an incoming enemy will spread throughout the body depends on the person’s immunity.

Although this virus can be detected at an early stage, it goes undetected during the incubation period, which lasts from two weeks to six months. Therefore, the patient cannot always understand where exactly or who infected him.

What can you do to avoid infecting your loved ones?

Even if one of your life partners has acquired hepatitis C, he continues to live with his spouse, but he needs to be extremely careful not to transmit the virus to another. Therefore, there are a number of rules that must be followed:

Under no circumstances should you become a donor.
The patient must have his own means and instruments for personal hygiene.
If the patient has abrasions or cuts that bleed, they need to be covered with a plaster and bandaged. The patient should be dressed using gloves.

Advice! If someone with hepatitis C lives in the same house as you, disinfect your home regularly.

When washing things, set the temperature above 60% and after half an hour, the virus will be inactivated. When boiled, the virus disappears after three minutes.

By applying all these tips, your family will be completely safe and hepatitis C will not pose any threat to you.

A distinctive feature of this disease is the high risk of its transition to a chronic form, which is due to a long asymptomatic period and late diagnosis.

It is quite difficult for the immune system to fight the pathogen, since it is capable of mutating and changing its structure. For the same reason, treatment is not always effective, and a specific vaccine against the infection has not yet been developed. At the moment, 14 different variants of gene structure and over 60 subtypes have been identified. Types 1b and 4a are considered the most dangerous.

Today, approximately 200 million people suffer from chronic hepatitis, of whom about half a million die annually from severe complications of the disease. Chronization is observed in 75% of cases. Every year the number of cases increases by approximately 5 million.

Methods of infection

The source of pathogenic agents is the patient or the carrier. Infection occurs through biological media, such as blood or saliva. Thus, hepatitis C is transmitted through a kiss, if the lip or gum is injured, that is, the integrity of the mucous membranes is compromised. Many people do not know that they are infected, so they can infect others for a long time.

Today, the following methods of pathogen spread are distinguished:

through blood;
at intimacy;
upon contact with biological media. It is extremely rare that hepatitis C is transmitted through saliva, tears or sweat;
vertical - during labor.

The disease is not transmitted by animals, shaking hands or sharing utensils.

The pathogen antigen is found in all biological media, but its maximum concentration is recorded in blood, vaginal discharge and semen. The remaining liquids contain an insufficient number of infectious individuals for infection.

Today, there are doubts whether you can become infected with hepatitis C through French kissing or oral sex. The fact is that the concentration of pathogens in saliva is small, but during the height of the disease their number can increase, thereby increasing the risk of infection.

Hemocontact

The main way the infection spreads is through contact with infected blood. The reason may be:

Thanks to careful testing of donor blood, strict control over the sterility of instruments and high-quality disinfectants, it was possible to reduce the likelihood of infection in medical institutions. On the other hand, the increased demand for tattoos increases the risk of people becoming infected.

Note that even in dried biological fluids the pathogen persists for up to 96 hours.

It is not always possible to determine the cause of hepatitis C, which is due to the long incubation period during which a person may forget about visiting a nail salon or dental office.

Sexual contact

Infection during intimacy is unlikely. In the absence of a condom, the infection rate does not exceed 5%. Using barrier contraceptives, the likelihood of pathogen transmission is reduced to zero.

The risk of getting sick increases among those who prefer frequent changes of sexual partners and neglect condoms. In addition, the risk group includes lovers of aggressive sex, as well as those who do not refuse intimacy during menstruation.

It is impossible to be sure that the partner does not have injured genital mucosa. The integrity of the integument may be compromised in the presence of erosions or during anal sex. If a person has one sexual partner, the risk of infection does not exceed 1%.

As for the oral form of intimacy, hepatitis C is transmitted through saliva only if the partner has defects in the mucous membrane.

Transmission of hepatitis C through kissing

Whether you can become infected with hepatitis C through saliva depends on the activity of the virus and the phase of the disease. Infection of a person through a kiss may occur, but is unlikely. The fact is that saliva contains a minimal concentration of pathogens, which is insufficient for infection. It’s another matter if the patient goes through an acute stage, when the number of viral agents rapidly increases, thereby predisposing others to infection.

It is worth noting that transmission of the pathogen is possible if the integrity of the oral mucosa is compromised in a healthy person.

In this case, the virus comes into contact with the blood, which significantly increases the risk of spreading the disease.

From this it follows that you can kiss a patient, but do not forget to monitor the condition of your oral mucosa. If the lip is bitten and injured, infection can occur through the blood.

Vertical path

The frequency of infection of an infant during labor does not exceed 5%. During pregnancy, infection does not occur, but the virus can be transmitted to the baby during childbirth.

In most cases, mothers who carry the virus give birth to healthy children. More accurate information on Russian Federation not available yet. It is possible to find out whether a baby has been infected only at 1.5 years of age through a laboratory blood test.

Infection occurs during childbirth due to contact of the injured mucous membrane of the newborn with the mother's birth canal. To prevent the spread of pathogens, a caesarean section is often performed.

As for the lactation period, breastfeeding is not prohibited. At the same time, a woman must strictly control the condition of her nipples. If they are damaged and bleeding, the risk of infection increases hundreds of times. In this regard, vigilance is required from the mother, because any wound on her body is a real threat to the newborn.

Risk group

There is a risk group that includes all people with a high probability of infection, namely:

All people who are at risk require regular examination. This will allow diagnosing the disease at an early stage and achieving good result in treatment.

When living with a patient in the same area, you must follow simple rules. Considering that the pathogen can persist for up to 96 hours, drops of blood on the floor or surface of furniture cannot be simply removed with a cloth soaked in water. To do this, you should use disinfectants containing chlorine, for example, Chlorhexidine.

Washing clothes should last at least half an hour at a temperature of 60 degrees. When boiling, two minutes is enough to kill the pathogenic agent.

The patient is required to control the integrity of his skin and mucous membranes. He must have personal nail scissors and hygiene items.

To minimize the risk of infection, it is recommended:

stop injecting drugs;
strictly control the sterility of medical instruments;
use protective equipment when working with contaminated material;
use the services of trusted beauty salons;
use personal hygiene products;
don't forget about condoms.

To protect your baby from this terrible disease, it is recommended that when planning a pregnancy, you undergo a full examination to detect not only hepatitis, but also other infections.