Prospective study of mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Study Group for Vertical Transmission.
Seventy-five women with anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody were enrolled prospectively during pregnancy or at delivery for study of mother-to-child transmission of HCV. Twenty-three women were coinfected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Seventy babies were monitored for at least 6 months. HCV infection was diagnosed in six infants (8.6%), four of whom were born to anti-HIV-positive mothers. HCV RNA was first detected between 2 and 6 months, and the genotypes of infected babies matched those of their mothers (type 1: n = 4; type 3: n = 2). Identical master sequences of the hypervariable region (HVR1) were detected in a mother-infant pair. In three babies coinfected with HCV and HIV, anti-HCV disappeared between 2 and 7 months, being persistently negative in two cases monitored for 11 and 26 months. Transmitting mothers did not differ significantly from those who did not transmit the infection with anti-HIV, HCV genotypes, and viral load at delivery, but had lower rate of reactivity to C100 by the recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) (P < .01). This prospective study confirms transmission of HCV from anti-HIV-negative mothers (4.4% in this series). Absence of anti-C100 antibodies at delivery is apparently related to increased risk of vertical transmission. Seronegative HCV infection can be observed in children coinfected with HIV.
Mazza
C
C
III Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry, Hospital of Brescia, Italy.
Ravaggi
A
A
Rodella
A
A
Padula
D
D
Duse
M
M
Lomini
M
M
Puoti
M
M
Rossini
A
A
Cariani
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001483:Base Sequence; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000821:virology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017421:Sequence Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies