Relationship between serum hepatitis B virus DNA load and intrauterine infection in pregnant women

    YU Aiª²Lian, QIAO Yunª²Bo, ZHANG Fengª²Xue, ZHAO Yingª²Hui, LI Dong, HAN Ziª²Qiang

    1Dapartment of Etiology, Taishan Medical College, Tai¬ðan 271000, China, 2Jinan Maternity and Child Care Hospital, Jinan 250001, China

    ¡¾Abstract¡¿ AIM: To study the relationship between serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA load in pregnant women and intrauterine infection as well as other relative factors. METHODS: Two hundred and twentyª²eight cases of HBsAg positive pregnant women were screened out by ELISA. HBVª²DNA content was detected with fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR)in HBsAg positive pregnant women and their fetal cord blood. According to the results of HBVª²DNA, the newborns were divided into infected group and nonª²infected group(control group). Relative factors were investigated in infected group and control group with intrauterine infection. RESULTS: Cord blood positivity rate of HBVª²DNA was 21%(14/68)in HBsAg, HBeAg and antiª²HBc positive pregnant women, 1.7%(2/117)in HBsAg, antiª²HBe and antiª²HBc positive pregnant women, 20%(3/15)in HBsAg and HBeAg positive pregnant women, and 11%(2/19)in HBsAg and antiª²HBc positive pregnant women. HBVª²DNA was not detected in only HBsAg positive pregnant women. The total infection rate in fetus was 9.2%. Intrauterine infection rate increased significantly when HBVª²DNA level increased in the blood of pregnant women and the risk for fetal intrauterine infection also increased. Threatened premature labor in fetal infection group was higher than that in control group(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Intrauterine infection rate is associated with the HBV infection status of the pregnant women. HBeAg positivity and high level of maternal HBVª²DNA are the high risk factors of fetal intrauterine infection. Threatened premature labor in pregnant women may lead to higher infection rate in fetus. ......