Abstract
Aims: A placenta with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the main reasons for transplacental transmission during pregnancy. This study aims to explore the factors influencing the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in the placenta and the synergistic effect of these factors.
Methods: A total of 155 placentae and blood specimens were collected from HBsAg-positive mothers and their newborns. HBsAg in placenta was detected using the immunohistochemistry method. HBV serum markers were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods.
Results: The results showed that hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive, or HBV DNA positive status, is significantly associated with an HBsAg-positive placenta. A synergistic effect was present. The hazard ratio for a HBsAg-positive placenta in mothers with HBeAg and HBV DNA was 1.97 times higher than the sum of the independent relative risk of each separate effect (synergy index, S=1.97). There was a statistically significant association between HBsAg in newborns and HBsAg in placenta, and the risk of newborns with HBsAg was greater (odds ratio values 3.33 and 5.31, respectively) when placental cells close to the fetal side were HBsAg positive.
Conclusions: Being positive for HBeAg and/or HBV DNA are significant risk factors for HBsAg in the placenta. HBsAg can pass through the placenta via cellular transfer, possibly contributing to transplacental transmission.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to the Taiyuan Infectious Disease Hospital of Shanxi Province for specimen collection. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30901227), Shanxi Province Science Foundation for Youths of China (2011021038-3) and Scientific and Technological Innovation Programs of Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi of China (20091114).
References
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©2015 by De Gruyter
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Academy’s Corner
- Obstetrical Doppler: the evidence today
- Review article
- Fetal complications due to intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy
- Original articles – Obstetrics
- Pre-pregnancy obesity compromises obstetric and neonatal outcomes
- Novel application of three-dimensional HDlive imaging in prenatal diagnosis from the first trimester
- Placental gene expression of inflammatory markers and growth factors – a case control study of obese and normal weight women
- Haemorrhagic and thrombotic complications in pregnant women with acquired and congenital cardiac disease
- Intrapartum ultrasound prior to Kristeller maneuver: an observational study
- Interinstitutional variations in mode of birth after a previous caesarean section: a cross-sectional study in six German hospitals
- Use of the angle of progression on ultrasonography to predict spontaneous onset of labor within 7 days
- Study of the relationship in pregnant women between hepatitis B markers and a placenta positive for hepatitis B surface antigen
- Sarcoidosis and pregnancy: obstetrical and neonatal outcomes in a population-based cohort of 7 million births
- Original articles – Fetus
- MR imaging of the fetal brain at 1.5T and 3.0T field strengths: comparing specific absorption rate (SAR) and image quality
- Sex differences in the fetal heart rate variability indices of twins
- Original articles – Newborn
- Correlation of neonatal weight with maternal serum levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A during the first trimester of pregnancy: a retrospective study
- Antenatal testing in uncomplicated pregnancies: should testing be initiated after 40 or 41 weeks?
- Low total IgM values and high cytomegalovirus loads in the blood of newborns with symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection
- Associated anomalies in congenital diaphragmatic hernia: perinatal characteristics and impact on postnatal survival
- The value of lipopolysaccharide binding protein for diagnosis of late-onset neonatal sepsis in very low birth weight infants
- Is there a stepwise increase in neonatal morbidities according to histological stage (or grade) of acute chorioamnionitis and funisitis?: effect of gestational age at delivery
- Commentary
- Thrombophilia testing in pregnancy: should we agree to disagree?
- Congress Calendar
- Congress Calendar
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Academy’s Corner
- Obstetrical Doppler: the evidence today
- Review article
- Fetal complications due to intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy
- Original articles – Obstetrics
- Pre-pregnancy obesity compromises obstetric and neonatal outcomes
- Novel application of three-dimensional HDlive imaging in prenatal diagnosis from the first trimester
- Placental gene expression of inflammatory markers and growth factors – a case control study of obese and normal weight women
- Haemorrhagic and thrombotic complications in pregnant women with acquired and congenital cardiac disease
- Intrapartum ultrasound prior to Kristeller maneuver: an observational study
- Interinstitutional variations in mode of birth after a previous caesarean section: a cross-sectional study in six German hospitals
- Use of the angle of progression on ultrasonography to predict spontaneous onset of labor within 7 days
- Study of the relationship in pregnant women between hepatitis B markers and a placenta positive for hepatitis B surface antigen
- Sarcoidosis and pregnancy: obstetrical and neonatal outcomes in a population-based cohort of 7 million births
- Original articles – Fetus
- MR imaging of the fetal brain at 1.5T and 3.0T field strengths: comparing specific absorption rate (SAR) and image quality
- Sex differences in the fetal heart rate variability indices of twins
- Original articles – Newborn
- Correlation of neonatal weight with maternal serum levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A during the first trimester of pregnancy: a retrospective study
- Antenatal testing in uncomplicated pregnancies: should testing be initiated after 40 or 41 weeks?
- Low total IgM values and high cytomegalovirus loads in the blood of newborns with symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection
- Associated anomalies in congenital diaphragmatic hernia: perinatal characteristics and impact on postnatal survival
- The value of lipopolysaccharide binding protein for diagnosis of late-onset neonatal sepsis in very low birth weight infants
- Is there a stepwise increase in neonatal morbidities according to histological stage (or grade) of acute chorioamnionitis and funisitis?: effect of gestational age at delivery
- Commentary
- Thrombophilia testing in pregnancy: should we agree to disagree?
- Congress Calendar
- Congress Calendar