title: The role of transplacental hepatitis B core antibody in the mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis B virus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the influence of transplacental hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) on perinatal hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission, we studied the anti-HBc titers in 294 mother-neonate pairs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The anti-HBc titer was highest (10(5.13 +/- 0.80) to 10(4.36 +/- 0.97) in mothers, 10(5.13 +/- 0.76) to 10(5.52 +/- 0.98) in infants) in the 200 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carrier mothers and their infants, second highest (10(4.51 +/- 0.76) and 10(4.68 +/- 0.76)) in the 60 HBeAg-negative HBsAg carrier mothers and their infants, and lowest (10(3.11 +/- 0.76) and 10(3.24 +/- 0.83)) in the 34 non-carrier mothers and their infants (p < 0.05). One hundred and ninety-two infants of HBeAg-positive carrier mothers received hepatitis B immunoglobulin as well as hepatitis B vaccines, and were followed prospectively from birth. Ten infants became HBsAg carriers, and their mothers had significantly lower anti-HBc titers than those of the mothers of 182 infants who did not become carriers (p = 0.003), while maternal serum hepatitis B virus DNA levels (29.9 +/- 23.6 versus 39.9 +/- 58.1 pg/10 ml) did not differ in those two groups (p > 0.25). The same trend was observed in the infants' anti-HBc titers in those two groups (p = 0.0006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association of lower anti-HBc titers in HBeAg-positive carrier mother-infant pairs and the development of carrier status in the infants suggests a positive role of anti-HBc in the modulation of mother-to-infant transmission of HBV. A high maternal anti-HBc level in serum may be a negative predictor of immunoprophylaxis failure in high-risk infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Obstetrics, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: P I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007116:Immunization, Passive / Q000009:adverse effects; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens