Does Information about IDUs' Injecting Networks Predict Exposure to the Hepatitis CVirus?

Background and aims: many previous studies have used cross-sectional approaches to measure associations betweeninjecting drug users' (idus') characteristics and hepatitis c virus (hcv) status, and identified independent predictors ofantibody to hcv (anti-hcv) positivity including duration of injecting, needle-sharing history and prior imprisonment.although hcv transmission between idus occurs primarily through blood transfer during close physical interactions,the contribution of social network data to prediction of hcv status has not been previously assessed.methods: 215 injecting drug users and their injecting network members were recruited in melbourne, australia betweenjuly 2005 and august 2006. logistic regression was used to analyze behavioral and social network data for predictorsof hcv exposure.results: idus' hcv exposure status was independently associated with the age of first injection of their injectingnetwork members (adjusted or=2.82, p=0.019) and the hcv exposure status of those network members (adjusted or= 6.17, p