title: Mother-to-Infant transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Brazil.
abstract: Sixty-one women with anti-HCV antibodies, detected by a third-generation enzyme immunoassay (EIA3), were prospectively recruited for investigation of vertical HCV transmission during child-birth, at the University Hospital of the Catholic University of Campinas, Brazil, between January 1994 and July 1998. Six of the women presented coinfection with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). All of the 72 children born in this period were followed at least until they were 18 months of age. Analyses of anti-HCV, HCV RNA, and alanine aminotransferase were performed in a minimum of two blood samples during follow-up. One (2.4 per cent; 95 per cent CI, 2.2-7) of the 42 children born to HCV viremic mothers was both anti-HCV and HCV RNA-positive, with altered ALT levels. Passively transferred maternal anti-HCV antibodies became undetectable within 9-12 months. None of the nine infants born to HIV-1 infected mothers were infected either by HIV or HCV. Thus, the mother-infant HCV transmission rate is low and seems to be associated with maternal HCV RNA positivity.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Catholic University of Campinas (PUC-Campinas), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. mariapatelli@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Maria P J S
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Rogério J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Pedro
authors.forename: Marlirani D C
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Rocha
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000635:transmission*; D015497:HIV-1; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy