U. Kuru et al., PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS-B VIRUS-INFECTION IN PREGNANT TURKISH WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES, European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases, 15(3), 1996, pp. 248-251
A total of 5,366 pregnant Turkish women were screened for hepatitis B
surface antigen (HBsAg) and 225 (4.2%) of them were found to be positi
ve. Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) was detected in 6.2% of HBsAg-positi
ve pregnant women. The overall prevalence of HBsAg and antibody to HBs
Ag (anti-HBs) among the spouses, previous children, mothers and first
degree relatives of the HBsAg-positive pregnant women was 56%, 49%, 79
% and 74% respectively. The prevalence of HBsAg is thus high in pregna
nt Turkish women with familiar clustering of hepatitis B virus infecti
on.