title: Low frequency of hepatitis C antibodies among children from foreign countries adopted in Swedish families.
abstract: 89 children from 20 countries adopted to Swedish parents between 1984 and 1988 were tested for the presence of hepatitis C antibodies (anti-HCV). Sera taken soon after their arrival to Sweden were retrospectively analyzed. Two children, an 18-month-old boy from Poland and an 8-month-old girl from India, were anti-HCV positive. The girl from India had lost the anti-HCV antibodies in sera taken at the age of 13 and 14 months. These antibodies were probably passively derived from the mother. The Polish boy had a strong positive reactivity and is likely to have had an HCV infection early in life. Thus, there is a low prevalence of anti-HCV positivity among children from foreign countries adopted in Swedish families.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Löfgren
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nordenfelt
mesh_terms: D000300:Adoption; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013548:Sweden
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies