NTRODUCTION

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with a high likelihood of progression to chronic infection, which in turn may lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and death. It is estimated that acute infection may lead to persistent infection in up to 85% of cases. Unfortunately, a majority of cases of acute hepatitis C (AHC) infection are asymptomatic and detection of the virus may go unnoticed for years until complications develop. Early detection of AHC, although clinically challenging, is ideal as response to therapy is maximized (1). The best approach to AHC patients continues to be controversial in most cases. AHC typically follows a mild clinical course, or is usually completely asymptomatic. The minority will present with typical clinical symptoms of hepatitis, including jaundice. Fulminant hepatic failure is a rare event. In Italy, the 1995�2000 case fatality rate for AHC was 0.1%, which is higher than hepatitis A (0.01%), but lower than acute hepatitis B (0.4%) (2). Coinfection with other hepatitis viruses may have contributed to the cases of severe acute hepatitis C infections (3). Risk factors for acquiring AHC include blood transfusion, injection drug use (IDU), medical procedures, nosocomial exposure, vertical transmission from mother to fetus, and possibly sexual transmission. Acquiring HCV through blood transfusion is now highly unlikely with the introduction of serological screening assays in 1991 (4). Sexual transmission is a controversial mode of transmission as there is still no convincing evidence of the presence of HCV RNA in biological fluids (5). It is speculated that risky behaviors and sharing sharp utensils between couples may account for suspected cases of sexual transmission(6).