[Update on the diagnosis and therapy of blood-transmitted occupational infections].

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection are the most important blood borne occupational viral infection. Estimates of the prevalence of HIV infection in Italy is between 0.24 and 0.26%. The implementation of HIV screening strategies in the general population will decrease the proportion of patients with unknown HIV serostatus and the improvement of anti HIV therapie will decrease the proportion of HIV infected patients with detectable viraemia. The increate sensitivity of HBVDNA assays will prompt the definition of cut off levels for the definition of the infectivity of HBsAg positive health workers. The availability of highly effective and well tollerate oral antivirals could increase the proportion of treatable HBsAg positive health workers. The highly elevated success rates in the treatment of acute HCV infection will support strategies aimed at an early identification of occupational HCV infections. The tailoring of anti HCV schedules allows to optimize anti HCV treatment of health workers with chronic hepatitis C and the availability of new anti HCV will open an horizon of success in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in health workers.