EFFECT OF HEPATITIS-C GENOTYPE ON MOTHER-TO-INFANT TRANSMISSION OF VIRUS

We evaluated vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 37 pr egnant women, 20 of whom also had human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) a ntibody, The HCV subtypes 1a and 3a were prevalent among pregnant wome n with HIV infection, Infection with HCV was transmitted from 30.7% of the 13 mothers with HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) and HIV antibody and f rom 25% of the 8 with HCV RNA alone, No mother with HCV antibody but n o HCV RNA transmitted HCV to her infant, Subtypes 1b and 3a seemed to be the most common HCV genotypes transmitted.