Prevention of vertical hepatitis B transmission by hepatitis B immunoglobulin in the third trimester of pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the possible efficacy of using hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) during the third trimester of pregnancy to prevent intrauterine transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV).


METHODS
Of 469 pregnant women testing positive for hepatitis B surface antigens (HBsAg), 126 had hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and 343 did not.


RESULTS
There were women who declined to be treated with HBIG in these 2 groups. Among infants born to HBeAg-positive mothers, the rates of those testing positive for HBsAg at birth and at the 6-month visit were significantly lower when the mothers had been treated with HBIG (P<0.05). Among infants born to HBeAg-negative mothers, however, no significant differences were found whether the mothers had been treated or not. Furthermore, all newborns received HBIG treatment and the first dose of a vaccination schedule within 12 h of birth. At the 6-month visit the protective anti-HBs rates were only 32.3% among infants whose mothers were HBeAg-positive and 56.2% among those whose mothers were HBeAg-negative when their mothers had not been treated with HBIG during pregnancy, whereas the corresponding rates were as high as 75.8% and 88.7% when the mothers had been treated.


CONCLUSIONS
Maternal administration of HBIG is effective in preventing intrauterine fetal HBV infection in HBsAg-positive, HBeAg-positive pregnant women and in improving immune response to hepatitis B vaccine in infants born to HBV carriers.
Xiao
Xiao Min
XM
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China. xiaoxiaomin55@hotmail.com
Li
Ai Zhen
AZ
Chen
Xin
X
Zhu
Yao Kui
YK
Miao
Jin
J
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third
D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D007136:Immunoglobulins