Parenteral HCV Transmission: Assessing Risks and Prevention Strategies in vitro

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目旨在了解丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）通过不安全药物注射传播风险的流行病学，并评估减少传播的方法。该研究方案采用跨学科流行病学方法，将药物注射实践的实际观察结果与实验室研究相结合，以分析(1)使用受HCV污染的注射设备导致HCV传播的可能性，(2)HCV在注射设备或设备中的存活时间，(3)消毒剂灭活HCV的可能性，(4)在丙型肝炎病毒在注射吸毒者中的流行仍在迅速增加的世界部分地区，在各种药物制备和注射操作中常见的接触传染性丙型肝炎病毒的可能性。实验室检测利用了新开发的利用整个病毒粒子的丙型肝炎病毒增殖体外检测方法，实验室中注射用具的处理将由具有药物注射实践第一手观察经验的医学人类学家监督。流行病学分析和结果的传播将用于告知预防规划和有传播或感染丙型肝炎风险的个人可以采取哪些步骤来减少传播。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project has been designed to understand the epidemiology of the risks for transmission of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) through unsafe drug injection and evaluate methods to reduce transmission. The study protocol applies an interdisciplinary epidemiological approach that fuses into laboratory-based research the real-world observations on drug injection practices to analyze (1) the potential for HCV transmission resulting from the use of HCV-contaminated injection equipment, (2) the duration of HCV viability in injection equipment of equipment, (3) the potential for disinfectants to inactivate HCV, and (4) the potential for exposure to infectious HCV in various drug preparation and injection practices common in parts of the world where the HCV epidemic among injection drugs users is still rapidly increasing. The laboratory assay takes advantage of a newly developed in vitro assay for HCV proliferation that employs whole virions and the handling of injection paraphernalia in the laboratory will be informed by oversight from medical anthropologists who have first-hand observational experience of drug injection practices. Epidemiological analysis and dissemination of the results will be used to inform prevention programs and individuals at risk for transmitting or becoming infected with HCV about the step that can be taken to reduce transmission. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project is directly relevant to public health since the results will be used provide information needed to control the epidemic of hepatitis C virus transmission among injection drug users.