Hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant mothers and its transmission to infants.
Screening for serological markers of hepatitis B virus infection was done on 500 pregnant mothers. HBsAg, AntiHBs and HBeAg were done. HBsAg was positive in 3.6%, AntiHBs in 17.4% and HBeAg in 0.4% cases. The infants born to the asymptomatic HBsAg carrier mothers were followed up to 6 months to determine the vertical transmission of HBV infection. Rate of transmission of infection from HBsAg positive mothers to infants were 16.66% irrespective of HBeAg status, whereas it was nearly 100% in case of HBeAg positive mothers. All of the HBsAg positive infants developed the antigenemia between 3-6 months of age, supporting the hypothesis that intrapartum transmission is the major mode of vertical transmission.
Akhter
S
S
Department of Pediatrics, IPGM & R, Dhaka, Bangla Desh.
Talukder
M Q
MQ
Bhuiyan
N
N
Chowdhury
T A
TA
Islam
M N
MN
Begum
S
S
D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014871:Water Microbiology
D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens