[Breast-feeding by mothers with positive serum hepatitis B virus test]

Sixty one samples of colostrum from mothers with positive serum Hepatitis B virus (HBV) test were collected and determined for serial HBV markers along with HBV DNA. Results showed that HBsAg, HBeAg and anti-HBc were most likely transferred by milk, while anti-HBs and anti-HBe had less possibility to enter the colostrum (P < 0.01). The overall HBV DNA positive rate was 42.6% in the 61 samples. The various HBV markers detected in mothers' serum presented a high consistency with those discovered in the corresponding milk samples. There were significantly higher rate of milk HBV transmission from mothers with serum positive HBsAg, HBeAg and anti-HBc or either one of them than those with positive for anti-HBs and/or anti-HBe.