Lack of mother-to-newborn transmission of hepatitis C virus in Iraqi women : a prospective study with hepatitis C virus RNA testing

Abstract EN

Introduction: The risk of mother to infant transmission of hepatitis C virus varies according to the population studied and the testing used.

Methods : In this study, the polymerase chain reaction was employed for the first time in Iraqi research in a prospective study to assess the risk of vertical transmission in an unselected population of Iraqi pregnant women.

Hepatitis C antibodies (Abs) were sought with third generation enzyme immunoassay (EIA-3) in 3491 pregnant women.

A positive reaction was then confirmed by a third generation immunoblot assay (LiaTek- 111).

Results : Positive confirmation occurred in 112 serum samples.

The study followed 26 babies of 25 anti-HCV positive mothers at the first month of life.

Eight of these babies were followed for 6 months postnatally.

All of the neonates were positive for HCV antibodies (EIA-3 and Lia Tek-111) during the first month of life.

None were positive at 6 months.

Hepatitis C virus RNA was consistently negative in 22 sera (14 infants at 1 month and 8 repeated at 6 months) regardless of the hepatitis C virus polymerase chain reaction status of their mothers, of whom 9 were positive for hepatitis C RNA.

Conclusion ; The study showed no evidence of vertical transmission of HCV from pregnant Iraqi women to their offspring