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Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis B Antigen in Taiwan

Cladd E. Stevens, M.D., M.P.H.,
R. Palmer Beasley, M.D., M.S.,
Julia Tsui, M.D.,
and Wy-Chan Lee, M.D.

Abstract

To determine the frequency of vertical transmission of hepatitis B antigen (HB_s Ag) from asymptomatic carrier mothers in Taiwan to their offspring, HB_s Ag was sought by radioimmunoassay and complement fixation. Of 158 babies born to carrier mothers, antigenemia developed in 63; 51 of these antigenemic babies had become antigen positive within the first six months of life. Three inter-related factors were found to increase the risk that antigenemia would develop in the infant: a high maternal complement-fixation titer for HB_s Ag: presence of HB_s Ag in the baby's umbilical-cord blood: and antigenemia in siblings. In contrast to previous studies, these findings indicate that vertical transmission from carrier mothers frequently occurs, at least in Taiwan, and may partially explain Taiwan's high prevalence of HB_s Ag. (N Engl J Med 292:771–774, 1975)

Funding and Disclosures

Supported in part through funds provided by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department for Work Unit MR041.09.01–0114A3GX.

The opinions and assertions contained herein are those of the authors and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Navy Department.

Author Affiliations

From the Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Investigation, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2, Box 14, APO San Francisco 96263, where reprint requests should be addressed to the Publications Office, the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, and the Center for Maternal and Child Health, Veterans' General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

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