Objective: To investigate the mechanism for vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
Methods: This study included 6 pairs of mothers and fetuses who were positive for anti-HCV antibody and HCV RNA, and 2 pairs of fathers and fetus in whom the father was positive for anti-HCV and HCV RNA while the mother was negative. HCV genotypes were detected by PCR and the nucleotide sequences of HCV genome spanning the core and envelope gene region (HCV C/E1) determined and compared.
Results: The HCV genotypes of the mothers and fetus were consistent. Five mother-fetus pairs were of genotype II, 1 of genotype III, with high homology of HCV between the mothers and their own fetuses. In contrast, in the two father-fetus pairs, no HCV RNA was detected in the fetuses in spite of the positivity of the fathers.
Conclusion: Vertical transmission of HCV infection from mothers to fetus is a clinical entity.