[Mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis C virus]

Anti-HCV antibody was examined in 4,801 pregnant women by using the first or second generation radioimmunoassay systems. Antibody positive patients were further tested for HCV-RNA by RT-semi nested polymerase chain reaction. Anti-HCV antibody was found to be positive in 59 women (1.23%) and HCV-RNA in 25 women (0.52%). Fourteen newborn babies born to anti-HCV antibody positive mothers were all positive for anti-HCV antibody but negative for HCV-RNA at delivery. HCV-RNA was detected in 3 of 13 children (23.1%) at 3, 5 and 9 months of age, respectively. All of their mothers had mild transaminase elevations in the third trimester. One of them was positive for both HCV and HIV. Although three mothers had HCV-RNA in the milk, their children were still sero-negative for HCV-RNA. These results suggest that mother-to-infant transmission of HCV may occur at delivery and transaminase elevation in the third trimester is one of the risk factors in mother-to-infant transmission of HCV.