Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research suggests people should keep their sweat to themselves.

Like blood, those beads of perspiration can harbor the hepatitis B virus.

These results come from a study conducted among 70 male Olympic wrestlers. While none tested positive for hepatitis B (HBV) infection, DNA testing found the virus hiding in the blood of 13 percent and in the sweat of 11 percent, with sweat levels of the virus similar to those found in the blood samples.

The investigators report this means people could be passing the virus along via their sweat and suggest all athletes should be tested for the virus and vaccinated at the beginning of their competitive careers.

Such a rule, they continue, would be in keeping with current policies on HIV testing, which is mandatory in many sports organizations. "The HBV is more likely than HIV to be transmitted because it is present in higher concentrations in the blood and more stable in the environment," write the authors. "Most sports organizations have decided that an AIDS detection test should be compulsory for participants in their sports, but mandatory testing of athletes for HBV is not even recommended."

HBV is often a lifelong condition, causing severe liver problems, including cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure, liver cancer and even death.
 

SOURCE: British Journal of Sports Medicine, published online Feb. 28, 2007