Transmission of Hepatitis C Virus by Saliva?

Saliva can contain a range of infectious agents and, despite several antimicrobial mechanisms, transmission of these can occur. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is of increasing importance, and HCV is transmitted by unknown routes as well as by the percutaneous route and sexual contact. Contact with blood or other body fluids may be responsible, as may be receipt of unscreened blood or blood product transfusions. HCV-RNA can be detected by the polymerase chain reaction which also shows that HCV may be present in the saliva of HCV-infected patients. This might provide an argument for the possible transmission of HCV via contaminated saliva. Epidemiological studies however, suggest that the infective capacity of HCV viral particles in saliva is low, but it has not been possible to determine their infective potential. Moreover, HCV-specific receptors have not been defined on oral epithelial cells, nor has the role of host defence mechanisms been determined. New experimental animal models and the recently described infectious HCV pseudoparticles, capable of simulating HCV replication in vitro, could be useful in establishing any role of saliva in the transmission of HCV infection.