Negligible risk of horizontal transmission of hepatitis B virus among mechanics and salespersons in the automobile industry.

Horizontal transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among hospital patients and medical staff has been well documented.1, 2) In most instances, HBV infection simply results in elevated antibody titers to HBV without any clinical symptoms, though fatal, fulminant hepatitis results in rare cases.3) The major route of the horizontal transmission of HBV is contact with infected blood.4) Minor routes of person-to-person transmission of HBV are body fluids such as saliva.5) Horizontal HBV transmission from mentally retarded HBV carriers to classmates and staff has been reported6), suggesting that horizontal transmission via minor routes can be fostered by close contact with antigenemic persons.4) The high prevalence of HBsAg carriers among Japanese7) makes horizontal transmission of HBV a real concern even in common occupational settings, although the actual risk of HBV infection has been unknown. The major aim of the present study was to investigate the possibility of horizontal transmission in common occupational settings. We selected automobile dealerships as an example of a common occupational setting in which horizontal transmission via blood is unlikely to occur.