Research advances in paternal-fetal vertical transmission during HBV infection / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global public health problem which greatly threatens human health. Paternal-fetal vertical transmission (P-FT) is one of the leading causes of persistent HBV infection, and has a transmission rate similar to that of mother-to-child vertical transmission. In recent years, P-FT has been attracting more and more attention and has become a hot research topic at home and abroad. It has been confirmed that P-FT occurs via sperm, but the mechanism remains unknown. Studies have shown that a high HBV DNA load in serum and semen and positive serum HBeAg are the major risk factors for the occurrence of P-FT. Random integration of HBV DNA into sperm can affect sperm quality, cause male infertility, and even affect the maternal pregnancy outcome. Currently the most important measure to block P-FT is pre-pregnancy intervention, including antiviral therapy for the father and active immunization for the mother.