In utero anti-HBV Antibodies transmission from mother to fetus

Hepatitis B is an infection caused by a virus called hepatitis B virus (HBV). This virus targets liver cells inducing inflammation. When hepatitis B is not properly managed, it can progress to several forms such as chronic hepatitis and lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Drugs are available to cure hepatitis and vaccine to prevent it. Unfortunately, HBV cannot be totaly suppressed and it can severaly reduce the vital prgnosis of patients who suffer from advanced forms . HBV is able to be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy. In addition, when mothers are immunized, they can transfer their antibodies to their fetus during pregnancy, as a passive immunity. According to this, we have evaluated in south of Benin, the protection against the hepatitis B virus that mothers could transfer in utero to their fetus. Thereby, we included 66 mothers and their newborns (67) at the time of delivery at the Bethesda hospital in Cotonou, St Jean clinic at Cotonou and at Deo gratias Clinic in Porto-Novo after obtaining their written consent some days before their delivery. We then measured anti-HBs antibodies in peripheral blood from both mother and newborn by Enzyme Linked Fluorescence Assay ( ELFA), a specific ELISA method. Our results showed that 97.14% of immunized mothers, or 34 out of the 35 immunized mothers in our study, transferred protective immunity to their respective newborns. Of the immunized newborns, it is interesting to note that 9, 6 and 4 newborns had respectively a concentration of protective anti- HBs antibodies 20, 50 and 100 times higher than the protection threshold. The antibody level of mothers were psitively correlated with that of the newbrns ( correlation coefficient of 80%). Our results suggest that when mothers are immunized, neonates had, like their mothers, high levels of anti-HBs antibodies. Then they are protected against VHB.

Author(s): Romaric Nounagnon Tochoedo

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