Detection of Hepatitis B Virus in Used Razor Blades by PCR

Hepatitis b virus (hbv) infection ranks among the most devastating health problems in the world.the most probable transmission routes of hbv are blood contact, sexual, and horizontal transfer. other sources of hbvtransmission are razor sharing, beauty treatments, tattooing, piercing, and manicures and other chiropody treatments.many infections have been reported in south-east asia, where barbers commonly share and reuse razors. detection ofhbv dna in contaminated devices such as razor blades is important in the demonstration of transmission routes andindirect estimation of hbv prevalence in specific subpopulations such as barbershop clientele. therefore, we aimed todetect the presence of hbv contamination on razor blades by nucleic acid testing.methods: used razor blades (n = 151) were purchased from different barber’s shops. used razor blades purchased fromchronic hbv patients (n = 8) were included as a positive control. the amplification and detection of hbv dna was carriedout by a semi-nested pcr method in a thermal cycler.results: the presence of hbv dna was found in 10 (6.6%) used razor-blade samples by the detection of a specific positiveband with agarose gel electrophoresis.conclusions: in conclusion, used razor blades may be contaminated with hbv, and the practice of sharing used razorblades may pose a risk of transmission. nucleic acid detection methods involving pcr can be used to detect hbv contaminationof razor blades. hbv control and prevention programs should educate barbers about the importance of contagiousdiseases, proper sterilization techniques, and avoiding reuse and sharing of contaminated equipment and supplies suchas razor blades. as an infection control measure, prohibition of razor reuse can reduce the spread of hbv infection in ruralareas, where the practice is often common at barbershops.