Premium
Mother‐to‐infant transmission of hepatitis C virus
Author(s) -
Resti M,
Azzari C,
Lega L,
Rossi ME,
Zammarchi E,
Novembre E,
Vierucci A
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1995.tb13624.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hepatitis c virus , transmission (telecommunications) , rna , virology , antibody , virus , flaviviridae , hepatitis c , viral disease , immunology , biology , gene , biochemistry , electrical engineering , engineering
Anti‐hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and HCV‐RNA were measured in the sera of 22 anti‐HCV positive, HIV‐1 negative mothers and their infants. ELISA and RIBA II were used for anti‐HCV determination. HCV‐RNA was measured by a nested polymerase chain reaction. HCV‐RNA was found in 12 of 22 mothers. All 22 children were followed for 12 months. All were anti‐HCV positive by the fourth month; 18 became anti‐HCV negative between the 8th and 12th month. HCV‐RNA was detected in 5 of 22 infants in the fourth month. They remained HCV‐RNA positive. All children born to HCV‐RNA negative mothers were HCV‐RNA negative while 5 of 12 babies born to HCV‐RNA positive mothers were infected. All five infected babies were born to mothers infected through transfusions or drug use. ALT levels in mothers seemed to have no effect on mother‐to‐infant transmission. Hence evidence for perinatal transmission of HCV from HCV‐RNA positive mothers was demonstrated in the present study.