Vertical transmission of hepatitis B.

Vertical transmission from mother to fetus and from mother to newborn infant of HBV plays a major role in maintaining the hepatitis B endemic condition. After a review of the literature on the subject the Authors outline the data of three years of investigations performed on a sample of 5345 pregnant women, puerperae and their respective infants. These data point out: - the high rate, statistically significant, of HBsAg-positive women (2.63%), among those hospitalized for threatened abortion or abortion in progress; - the high positivity rate (16.39%) of cord blood samples of infants born to carrier mothers; - the constant negativity of cord blood in these infants during the first week of age; - the follow-up of 37 children from carrier mothers (controlled at 1, 2, 3, 6 months and 1 and 2 years of age) substantiates the constant negativity for HBsAg in European children.