title: Possible role of high-titer maternal viremia in perinatal transmission of hepatitis C virus.
abstract: To study perinatal transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV), 15 anti-HCV-positive carrier mothers without human immunodeficiency virus coinfection were recruited. At delivery, maternal blood was taken and anti-HCV titer was determined and HCV RNA measured in each serum sample by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A competitive PCR was used in selected samples to quantitate HCV concentration. The 15 neonates were followed regularly for 1 year and their sera were also assayed for anti-HCV and for HCV RNA by reverse transcription PCR. All the mothers were positive for HCV RNA. Only one normal spontaneously delivered neonate of a mother with extremely high titer of anti-HCV (1:20,000) and HCV concentration (10(10) copies/mL) had both anti-HCV and HCV RNA in serum for up to 6 months of age. In contrast, none of the remaining 14 neonates born to mothers with low- to high-titer anti-HCV (1:4-1:1000) and moderate amounts of HCV RNA (10(5)-10(6) copies/mL) contracted HCV infection. The results imply that high-titer maternal viremia and normal spontaneous delivery may allow more HCV to infect the neonate intrapartum, therefore establishing perinatal transmission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Republic of China.
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013624:Taiwan; D014766:Viremia / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral