Prospective reevaluation of risk factors in mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis C virus: high virus load, vaginal delivery, and negative anti-NS4 antibody.
Of 21,791 pregnant women screened in Tottori Prefecture, Japan, 127 (0.58%) were positive for anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody and 84 (0.39%) were positive for HCV RNA. Of 84 children followed up for at least 6 months, 7 (8%) were infected. All of them were born to 26 mothers with a high virus load (HVL; >/=2.5x106 RNA copies/mL [27%]), compared with 0 of 58 children born to non-HVL mothers (P<.001). Because all the infected children were vaginally delivered, the infection rate among 16 vaginally delivered children born to the HVL mothers was as high as 44%. The prevalence of anti-NS4 antibody in the mothers with an infectious HVL was significantly lower than that in the mothers with a noninfectious HVL (P=.048). Analysis of our results suggests that maternal HVL, vaginal delivery, and negative anti-NS4 antibody are significant risk factors for the mother-to-child transmission of HCV.
Okamoto
M
M
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, Japan.
Nagata
I
I
Murakami
J
J
Kaji
S
S
Iitsuka
T
T
Hoshika
T
T
Matsuda
R
R
Tazawa
Y
Y
Shiraki
K
K
Hino
S
S
D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins