Simultaneous human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C infection following a needlestick injury

Needlestick injuries to health professionals at the Hospital del Mar, Barcelona since 1987 have been prospectively studied; a total of 296 such accidents in 286 subjects have been registered. We report the first case to our knowledge of simultaneous human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C (HCV) infection in a nurse who suffered a needlestick injury after a blood sampling. Forty-four days after the accident she had symptoms and laboratory findings of acute hepatitis. Subsequent laboratory tests showed elevation in the aminotransferases and antibodies against HIV. The seroconversion to HCV was not detected until 109 days after the injury. The precise sequence of clinical and biological events of this case of simultaneous HIV and HCV infection is reported.