title: Detection of antibodies to hepatitis C virus in dried blood spot samples from mothers and their offspring in Lahore, Pakistan.
abstract: Dried blood spot samples from mothers and their offspring attending the obstetric and pediatric departments of two hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan, were tested for antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV). The seroprevalence of HCV in the women was 6.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.3 to 9.1), and that in the children was 1.3% (95% CI, 0.34 to 2.26). Four anti-HCV immunoglobulin G (IgG)-positive children had mothers that were anti-HCV IgG negative, which suggested that their infection was community acquired.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000821:virology*; D015995:Prevalence