Hepatitis A Outbreaks in European Homosexual Men
Pablo Barreiro 1, Vicente Soriano 2
1 Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Carlos III-La Paz University Hospital. Madrid, Spain; 2 UNIR Health Sciences School and Medical Center, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, Madrid, Spain
*Correspondence: Pablo Barreiro, Email not available
Abstract
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a small RNA, non-enveloped agent predominantly transmitted via the fecal/oral route through person-to-person contact or contaminated food and water. The mean incubation period is 28 days (range: 15-50). Acute hepatitis A is always self-limited and very rarely fatal. Moreover, it never progresses to chronicity. Acutely infected persons are most likely to transmit HAV before the onset of jaundice, when viral particle concentration in stool is highest.
