An Investigation on The Modes of HCV Infection -Possible Materno-infantile and Sexual Transmission of HCV-

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Under the collaboration of 32 obstetrical institutions in Chiba Prefecture, we investigated 1)diganostic means of HCV carrier-stage, 2)HCV carrier rate in pregnant women (incl : silent carrier), 3)HCV clustering in the familial memebers of carrier pregnant women, 4)potential HCV materno-infantile and/or sexual transmission, and got the results as follows :1)Five of 59 infants (8.5%) born to HCV carrier mothers were found to develop carrier state. 2)Four of the 5 carrier infants revealed the same genotype to their own mothers, while one child developed two mixed genotypes (one was similar to its mother). 3)All of the 5 carrier infants acquired active immunity against HCV, which was confirmed by the reelevation of serum HCV-related Ab titers. 4)HCV-RNA was always detectable by PCR up to 47 weeks after birth in 4 of the 5 carrier infants (80%). In one infant, HCV-RNA was detectable until 8 months in age, but became negative at 12 months and remained negative up to 24 months. 5)Abnormal elevation of serum ALT levels was found in 80% of the carrier infants.