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Prevention of maternal‐infant hepatitis B virus transmission by immunization: The role of serum hepatitis B virus DNA
Author(s) -
Lee ShouDong,
Lo KwangJuei,
Wu JawChing,
Tsai YangTe,
Wang JiinYu,
Ting LingPai,
Tong Myron J.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.1840060306
Subject(s) - virology , hepatitis b virus , immunization , medicine , virus , hepatitis b , transmission (telecommunications) , immunology , antibody , electrical engineering , engineering
Abstract Sera from 108 HBsAg carrier mothers at delivery and their respective offspring at birth and at 6 months of age were examined for hepatitis B virus DNA by the dot‐blot hybridization technique. Hepatitis B virus DNA was detected in 83% of 88 carrier mothers who were HBeAg positive, and in 10% of 20 carrier mothers who were HBeAg negative. All five infants born to HBeAg‐positive carrier mothers with hepatitis B virus DNA levels over 80 pg per 10 μl of serum were infected by hepatitis B virus, in spite of receiving hepatitis B immunization. All 17 infants without hepatitis B immunization who were born to HBeAg and hepatitis B virus DNA‐positive carrier mothers developed hepatitis B virus infection. Of 56 infants born to HBeAg and hepatitis B virus DNA‐positive carrier mothers and who had received hepatitis B immunization, a higher hepatitis B virus infection rate was found in a group of infants whose sera hepatitis B virus DNA were positive (15/16, 93.8%) than in infants whose sera were negative (17/40, 42.5%) at birth (p<0.0005). These data suggest that the assay for hepatitis B virus DNA in sera of HBsAg carrier mothers at delivery or their infants at birth will predict the efficacy of hepatitis B immunization for prevention of maternal‐infant hepatitis B virus transmission.