Mother to infant transmission of hepatitis C virus infection.

Eight women with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection during pregnancy gave birth to 11 children. Five of these children had elevated ALT, but only two had increased levels in more than one sample. All children tested before 6 months of age were positive for anti-HCV at most up to 7 months of age and then became negative. One child with a maximum ALT level of 8.4 mukat/l however, regained anti-HCV positivity at 12 months of age, and a liver biopsy at 21 months of age showed resolving hepatitis. Passively acquired HCV antibodies are obviously found in newborns of anti-HCV-positive mothers with chronic hepatitis. In 1 of 11 children, active anti-HCV production and concomitant liver disease suggested mother to infant transmission of hepatitis C virus infection.