title: Hepatitis B transmission within families: potential importance of saliva as a vehicle of spread.
abstract: We report a family, extensively affected by hepatitis B virus (HBV), in whom sexual or vertical transmission is unlikely to account entirely for the intra-family clustering of the virus. HBV-DNA was detected in saliva in one family member and we suggest that spread by salivary transmission could account for at least some of the intra-family infection and could contribute to the "inapparent parenteral" spread of hepatitis B.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010375:Pedigree; D012463:Saliva / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens