GENETIC-EVIDENCE FOR MOTHER-TO-INFANT TRANSMISSION OF HEPATITIS-G VIRUS

Mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis G virus (HGV [or GBV-C]) wa s studied in sera from 42 mothers at high risk for bloodborne infectio ns and from their 45 infants (3 twin pairs). Seven (17%) of the mother s had HGV RNA in serum by a polymerase chain reaction assay. One of th e 8 (12.5%) infants born to HGV-infected mothers became positive for H GV at 3 months of age. He remained HGV-infected throughout the study ( 42 months), with no signs of liver disease. His twin sister remained H GV-negative despite the presence of serum and salivary HGV in both the mother and the brother. Analysis of HGV sequences from the infected m other and the infected child confirmed a genetic link between the viru s of the mother and the infected child. Thus, mother-toinfant transmis sion of HGV, presumably occurring at partus, may cause persistent HGV viremia.