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Kazuo Tobe, MD; Kazuharu Matsuura, MD; Toshio Ogura, MD; Yoshinori Tsuo, MD; Yoshiaki Iwasaki, MD; Motowo Mizuno, MD; Kazuhide Yamamoto, MD; Toshihiro Higashi, MD; Takao Tsuji, MD

Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:2541-2545.

Eleven cases of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (5 cases of acute hepatitis B and 6 of subclinical infection) were detected among 65 members of our university's American football team during a period of 19 months. All tested positive for antibody to the hepatitis B surface antigen (HB_sAg) or core antigen (HB_cAg). The incidence of HBV infection among team members (20.4%) was significantly higher (P<.001) than among students who tested positive for andibody to HB_sAg throughout the university (1.8%). We also detected a single carrier of hepatitis B e antigen (HB_eAg) on the team. Analysis of HB_sAg subtypes in 3 of 5 players with acute hepatitis B indicated that their subtype (adr) was identical to that of the HB_eAg carrier. All players with acute hepatitis B belonged to the same training group, which also included the HB_eAg carrier. Our analysis suggests that horizontal transmission of HBV can occur even in a sports team, probably due to contact with open wounds during training.

From the Health and Medical Center, Okayama University (Drs Tobe, Matsuura, and Ogura), Okayama Prefectural Hospital (Dr Tsuo), and the First Department of Internal Medicine, Okayama University Medical School (Drs Iwasaki, Mizuno, Yamamoto, Higashi, and Tsuji), Okayama, Japan.

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