Perinatal transmission of hepatitis C virus from human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected mothers. Women and Infants Transmission Study

J Infect Dis. 1998 Jun;177(6):1480-8. doi: 10.1086/515315.

Abstract

Antepartum plasma hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA was quantified in 155 mothers coinfected with HCV and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), and HCV RNA was serially assessed in their infants. Of 155 singleton infants born to HCV antibody-positive mothers, 13 (8.4%) were HCV infected. The risk of HCV infection was 3.2-fold greater in HIV-1-infected infants compared with HIV-1-uninfected infants (17.1% of 41 vs. 5.4% of 112, P = .04). The median concentration of plasma HCV RNA was higher among the 13 mothers with HCV-infected infants (2.0 x 10(6) copies/mL) than among the 142 mothers with HCV-negative infants (3.5 x 10(5) copies/mL; P < .001), and there were no instances of HCV transmission from 40 mothers with HCV RNA concentrations of < 10(5) copies/mL. Women dually infected with HIV-1 and HCV but with little or no detectable HCV RNA should be reassured that the risk of perinatal transmission of HCV is exceedingly low.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • HIV Infections / complications*
  • HIV-1*
  • Hepacivirus / classification
  • Hepacivirus / genetics
  • Hepacivirus / immunology
  • Hepatitis C / complications
  • Hepatitis C / immunology
  • Hepatitis C / transmission*
  • Hepatitis C / virology
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical*
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious* / immunology
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious* / virology
  • Prospective Studies
  • RNA, Viral / analysis
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA

Substances

  • RNA, Viral