A cluster of hepatitis C virus infections associated with ozone-enriched transfusion of autologous blood in Rome, Italy
Faustini A, Capobianchi MR, Martinelli M, Abbate I, et al. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 2005.
- Study type
- Cohort study
- People studied
- 31 people
- Population
- All 42 patients exposed to ozone therapy by autohemotherapy or intramuscular injection at a hospital outpatient department in Rome, January to June 2001; 31 (74%) took part
- Published
- 2005, Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
- Identifiers
- PMID 16209382, DOI 10.1086/502614
What the authors reported
Of 31 participating patients, six were positive for HCV antibodies and HCV RNA, a prevalence of 19.4% against an estimated 0.9% in the population, and three (9.7%) had symptoms of HCV infection. One of the six had been known to be infected since 1986 and could have been the source. All infected patients had received ozone-enriched transfusions of autologous blood.
What limits this result
Retrospective investigation of one outbreak at one outpatient department, read from the abstract only. Of the 42 exposed patients, 31 took part, and the authors state that the specific mode of transmission between patients was not detected.
Harms reported after ozone therapy, and studies of how ozone exposure affects health. One study rarely settles a medical question; our guides weigh each paper against the rest of the evidence.
How the study was done
- Design
- Retrospective cohort study
- Setting
- Outpatient department of a hospital in Rome, Italy
- Read from
- Read from the abstract only; where this page says nothing about an item, the abstract does not report it. Read on October 2, 2026.
Source: Abstract on PubMed
Study arms
| Group | Participants | What they received |
|---|---|---|
| Patients exposed, January to June 2001 | 42 | Ozone therapy by autohemotherapy or intramuscular injection |
| Participants | 31 | Exposed patients who agreed to participate in the study (74%) |
Source: Abstract on PubMed
What it measured
- Symptoms of HCV infection
- Three (9.7%) had symptoms of HCV infection
- That incidence compared with the regional population
- Higher than the rate of 1.4 per 100,000 per year in the regional population
- HCV antibodies and HCV RNA
- Six patients positive, a prevalence rate of 19.4%, against an estimate of 0.9% in the population
- Virus genotypes
- Genotype 1b in two case-patients (one symptomatic) and 2c in four (two symptomatic); one of them, known to have HCV infection since 1986, could have been the source
- Treatment received by the infected patients
- All were being exposed to ozone-enriched transfusions of autologous blood
- Mode and timing of transmission
- Specific mode between patients not detected; transmission probably occurred during one of the three busiest therapeutic sessions in the 6-month period
- Authors' recommendation
- Standard precautions must be applied in any healthcare setting; restricting the number treated in each session could avoid accidental transmission
Source: Abstract on PubMed
Safety as reported
Hepatitis C virus transmission among patients given ozone therapy; the authors conclude that transmission may occur during medical procedures with limited bleeding
Source: Abstract on PubMed
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