TY - JOUR
TI - Clinical significance of hepatitis b surface antigen in cord blood of hepatitis B e-antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B virus-infected mothers
AU - Elefsiniotis, I.S.
AU - Papadakis, M.
AU - Vlahos, G.
AU - Daskalakis, G.
AU - Saroglou, G.
AU - Antsaklis, A.
JO - Intervirology
PY - 2009
VL - 52
TODO - 3
SP - 132-134
PB - 
SN - 0300-5526, 1423-0100
TODO - 10.1159/000219852
TODO - hepatitis B surface antigen;  hepatitis B(e) antigen, adult;  article;  blood placenta barrier;  blood sampling;  chronic hepatitis;  clinical article;  clinical evaluation;  delivery;  female;  hepatitis B;  human;  human tissue;  immunoprophylaxis;  infant;  newborn;  nonhuman;  priority journal;  serology;  umbilical cord blood;  vertical transmission;  virology;  virus detection;  virus load, DNA, Viral;  Female;  Fetal Blood;  Hepatitis B e Antigens;  Hepatitis B Surface Antigens;  Hepatitis B virus;  Hepatitis B, Chronic;  Humans;  Immunization, Passive;  Immunotherapy, Active;  Infant, Newborn;  Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical;  Pregnancy, Hepatitis B virus
TODO - Vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection during the perinatal period is the major cause of HBV transmission. The aim of our study was to evaluate the serological and virological profiles of HBV infection in cord blood samples obtained from HBeAg-negative chronic HBV-infected women, at delivery, and to investigate their relationship with the clinical outcome (possible transmission of HBV) in neonates receiving the currently approved passive-active immunoprophylaxis schedule. Sixteen women (32%) exhibited HBsAg positivity in the cord blood but HBV-DNA has not been detected in any of the 50 cord blood samples evaluated. We conclude that HBsAg can be transferred through the placental barrier, as with other proteins, in about one third of HBeAg-negative chronic HBV-infected pregnant women, irrespective of the maternal viral load, the mode of delivery or the placenta HBV pathology. The clinical impact of this phenomenon on the intrauterine-transplacental or perinatal transmission of HBV infection and/or passive-active immunoprophylaxis failure does not seem to be important. © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.
ER -