title: Increased risk of maternal-infant hepatitis C virus transmission for women coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Italian Study Group for HCV Infection in Children.
abstract: To estimate the risk of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and identify correlates of transmission, 245 perinatally exposed singleton children followed prospectively beyond 18 months of age were studied. Overall, 28 (11.4%) of the 245 children acquired HCV infection. Transmission occurred in 3 of 80 children (3.7%) whose mothers had HCV infection alone and in 25 of 165 (15.1%; P < .01) whose mothers had concurrent infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The percentage of HIV-1-infected children was similar (22 of 165, 13.3%), but each virus was transmitted independently; only six infants (3.6%) were coinfected with HCV and HIV-1. The risk of HCV transmission was not associated with maternal HIV-1-related symptoms, intravenous drug use, prematurity, low birth weight, or breast-feeding, whereas it was lower with cesarean section than with vaginal delivery (5.6% vs. 13.9%, P = .06). This suggests that transmission occurs mainly around the time of delivery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Tovo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palomba
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferraris
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Principi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ruga
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dallacasa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maccabruni
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015497:HIV-1; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000821:virology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors