Relationships between serum hepatitis B virus load in mothers, free maternal DNA in peripheral blood of newborns and hepatitis B virus infection of newborns / 中华传染病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the relationships between serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA level in chronic HBV infected mothers, free maternal DNA in newborns' peripheral blood and HBV infection of newborns. Methods Free maternal DNA in newborns' peripheral blood was amplified by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (As-PCR) and heminested polymerase chain reaction (heminPCR). Serum HBV DNA of pregnant women were detected by fluorescence quantitative real-time PCR. The relationships between mothers' serum HBV DNA level, mother-to-fetus DNA transfer and newborns HBV infection were analyzed by SPSS 13. 0 software. Results Thirty-six pairs of motherfetus informative cases were selected and free maternal DNA in the peripheral blood was detected in 26newborns (72. 2%). Statistical analysis indicated that mother-to-fetus DNA transfer was not related with HBsAg, HBV DNA DOsitive in newborns (Fisher exact Drobabilities were 0. 278 and 1.000,respectively; both P > 0. 05), while it was related with HBV infection in the peripheral bloodmononuclear cell (PBMC) of newborns (Fisher exact probability was 0. 026, P<0. 05). Freematernal DNA transfer was not related with mother HBV DNA level (X2 = 2. 097, P>0. 05). Therisk of HBV DNA positive in newborns increased with mother serum HBV DNA increasing ( total X= 62. 21, P<0. 05; tendency X2 =58. 46, P<0. 05). There was no relationship between motherserum HBV DNA level and PBMC HBV DNA positive in newborns (total X2 =4. 82, P>0. 05).Conclusions DNA transfer from HBV infected mother to fetus is related with PBMC HBV infection innewborns, which could be a risk factor of HBV infection in newborns. The risk of serum HBV DNApositive in newborns increases with mother serum HBV DNA level increasing.