abstract: Children of mothers chronically infected with hepatitis-C-virus (HCV) during pregnancy and delivery were prospectively followed. 90 children born to 85 infected mothers were included in our study; nine of the mothers were known to be co-infected with HIV-1. These 90 children were first tested within 60 days after birth and followed for at least three months. Three of the 90 children became infected perinatally with HCV as shown by persistence of antibodies after 2 years of life and a positive result in the RT-PCR. One of these 3 children has evidence of ongoing hepatitis as shown by slightly elevated alanine aminotransferase values, but is otherwise clinically well, likewise the other 2 infected children. 54 of the 87 uninfected children were followed until they lost maternal antibodies after an average of one year.In another part of the study we tested 76 breast milk samples from 73 chronically HCV-infected mothers for the presence of HCV-RNA. None of the samples was positive. One of the 76 children of these mothers became HCV-infected; the course of infection in this case favours an HCV-transmission during pregnancy or delivery and not by breast feeding. These data show that maternal HCV-infection should not be a contraindication for breast feeding.
authors.affiliation: Universitätskrankenhaus Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Polywka
authors.affiliation: Universitätskrankenhaus Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laufs
keywords: Breast milk; Key words Hepatitis C virus; Vertical transmission