Analysis on relationship between hepatitis B serologic markers in HBsAg positive mothers and their infants

ObjectiveTo investigate the changes and the development of hepatitis Bvirus serologic markers in mothers carry ing hepatitis Bsurface antigen(HBsAg)and theirinfants who accepted hepatitis Bimmunoglobulin(HBIG)combining hepatitis Bvaccine immunization by follow-up study.Methods125 HBsAg carrier mothers and their 128 infants(3 twin pairs)were followed up.Major HBVsero logic markers in all mothers and theirinfants were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)when infants were at month 7 and at month 24 to month 36.Results83 infants were followed up at month 7 and 75 infants and their mothers were fo llowed up when infants were at month 24 to month 36.Of 128 infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers,4 infants were HBsAg positive at birth,only 1 infant who was bor n from HBsAg-positive and HBeAg(hepatitis Be antigen)-positive mother was persistently positive sera for HBsAg.The other 94 infants were negative HBsAg.Of 26 infants born to HBsAg-positive and HBeAg-positive mothers,20 showed detectable levels of HBeAg.HBeAg were still detectable in 1 infant who was also HBsAg positive and the others all became HBeAg-negative during follow-up period.No infant became HBeAg-positive.Hepatitis Be antibody(anti-HBe)and hepatitis Bcore antibody(ant-i HBc)in the infants disappeared gradually in the shor-tterm and long-term follow-up.ConclusionThe transplacental intrauterine infection rate of HBVwas about 3.13% (4/128),and the chronic infection rate of HBV was about 25.00% (1/4).The maternal HBeAg may pass through placenta from mother to fetus,butit will disappearin 7 months in the infants.The sole existence of anti-HBe and(or)anti-HBc in infants simply represented the transplacental maternal antibo dies to the fetus,and may notindicate thatinfants experience HBVinfection actively or previously.