title: Occult hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant woman and its clinical implication.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to document the prevalence rate of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) in healthy pregnant woman and the possibility of transmission to the foetus.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was performed prospectively with 202 healthy pregnant women. HBV-DNA testing was performed using two specific quantitative tests with two independent sets of sera and cord blood. DNA sequencing analysis was carried out to confirm the specificity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product of HBV-DNA testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight of 202 (4%) individuals with the TaqMan PCR assay and 23 of 202 (11.4%) with the COBAS Amplicor HBV Monitor test were HBV-DNA positive. Six (3%) individuals were positive with both methods. Sequencing and genotyping analysis of HBV polymerase gene with sera of the 75th subject resulted in genotype C. HBV-DNA testing with four cord blood samples showed that all were HBV-DNA negative.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Occult HBV infection shows a difference in prevalence rate depending on the test method but the existence has been confirmed by sequencing analysis. Our results also suggest that vertical transmission through the cord blood is not so high as to be clinical problems and warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Bundang CHA Hospital, Pochon CHA University, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Chang-Ii
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Seong Gyu
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Seung Ju
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Sung Woon
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Su Youn
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kwang Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Sung Pyo
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Pil Won
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kyu Sung
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Rim
authors.forename: Myung Seo
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hyun Jae
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Sun Pyo
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D015684:Gene Products, pol / Q000235:genetics; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D015684:Gene Products, pol; C066027:P protein, Hepatitis B virus