A STUDY Of THE VERTICAL TRANSMISSION Of HEPATITIS C INFECTION IN AN URBAN AREA Of EGYPT

Abstract

HCV is highly prevalent in Egypt. This study aims at addressing the question of mother to infant transmission of HCV. This study was a prospective case- control study done on 425 healthy pregnant ladies in labour whose age range from (17-46 years) who were attending the gynecology and obestric hospital Ain Shams University and Nasr City Health Insurance Hospital. Sera from 425 health mothers were collected at delivery and

tested for HCV-antibodies by 2nd-generation ELISA and positive reactions were confrrmed by RIBA.2, HCV-RNA for 40 HCV-Ab +ve and 66 HCV-Ab -ve mothers.

Qualitative by RT-PCR, quantitative by Taq-Man-PCR, Genotype by sequence analysis. Also, sera were obtained from 25 babies ofHCV-RNA +ve mothers and (12 babies) of HCV - RNA -ve mothers at birth and for 21 of these babies at 6 months and 12 month they are all tested for HCV-Ab and HCV-RNA at birth, 6m. and 12m. Out of 425 mothers 44 ladies were HCV-Ab +ve (10.4%}, 38/40 (95%) of HCV­

Ab +ve ladies had detectable HCV- RNA, 31/35 (88.57%)

had genotype 4a.