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Familial Clustering of Hepatitis B Infection

List of authors.
  • Wolf Szmuness, M.D., D.Sc.,
  • Alfred M. Prince, M.D.,
  • Robert L. Hirsch, M.D.,
  • and Betsy Brotman

Abstract

In a survey among 449 family contacts of blood donors from 197 households containing carriers of hepatitis B antigen, 6.7 per cent were antigen positive, as compared with 0.8 per cent in control households. The greatest prevalence of B antigen was among siblings (19.7 per cent) and other genetic family contacts (8 per cent). In spouses B antigen was less frequently detected (3.4 per cent).

Hepatitis B antibody was detected three times more frequently in the study households than in control households. No differences in prevalence of hepatitis B antibody between specific relatives of antigen carriers were seen. Familial clustering does not appear to be correlated with the presence or absence of liver damage in the asymptomatic donor carrier. Neither venereal nor Maternal-Fetal transmission seems to be of primary importance in the spread of hepatitis B infections in these surveyed families. The evidence supports the hypothesis that hepatitis B virus can be transmitted nonparenterally. (N Engl J Med 289:1162–1166, 1973)

Funding and Disclosures

Supported by contract (72–2961-B) with the National Heart and Lung Institute and a grant (AE-09011) and general research funds from the National Institutes of Health (Dr. Prince is the recipient of a career investigator award from the Health Research Council of New York under a contract [1–533]).

We are indebted to the blood donors and their family members for their participation and co-operation in this study, to Mr. E. Harley for assistance in field work, to Ms. E. De Kosko, Ms. E. Sullivan and Mr. H. Bernard for interviewing donors and conducting home visits, to H. Ikram, Ph.D., Ms. P. Fusco, Ms. B. Clinkscale, Ms. A. Moffatt, Ms. S. Nagel, Ms. E. Eckenroth, Ms. D. Timmons, and Ms. A. Zajac for laboratory assistance, and to Mr. I. Much and Ms. R. Diogenes for assistance.

Author Affiliations

From the laboratories of Epidemiology and Virology, New York Blood Center, Columbia University School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology, and the Clinical Services, Greater New York Blood Program (address reprint requests to Dr. Szmuness at the Laboratory of Epidemiology, New York Blood Center, 310 E. 67th St., New York, N.Y. 10021).

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