Hepatitis B post‐partum e antigen clearance in hepatitis B carrier mothers: Correlation with viral characteristics

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Abstract
Background:  The purpose of the present paper was to correlate hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype, e antigen titer, HBV‐DNA level and precore/basal core promoter mutations with post‐partum e antigen clearance in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐positive carrier mothers.Methods:  A total of 40 consecutive HBeAg‐positive carrier mothers were studied from January 2002 to January 2003. The blood samples were taken at delivery, 3–4 months and at 1 year after delivery, and the follow‐up period was until 1 year after delivery. All sera were assayed for HBeAg, HBV‐DNA level, HBV genotype and precore/basal core promoter mutations. The correlation between HBV characteristics and post‐partum e antigen clearance was analyzed by Mann–Whitney, Pearson χ2 and multiple logistic regression tests.Results:  The mean age of the 40 HBeAg‐positive carrier mothers was 29.9 ± 5.3 years with a mean parity of 1.4 ± 0.7. Five of them (group I) had post‐partum e antigen clearance, which persisted thereafter, whereas the remaining 35 carrier mothers (group II) had persistent positivity of HBeAg during the follow‐up period. The prepartum comparisons of HBV characteristics between groups I and II were comparable in terms of demographics and distributions of HBV genotype and precore/basal core promoter mutations. In contrast, group I carrier mothers had lower HBeAg titer and HBV‐DNA level than group II carrier mothers (1:80 vs 1:4000, P = 0.02, and 3.75 × 105 vs 3 × 108 copies/mL, P = 0.028, respectively).Conclusions:  Post‐partum e antigen clearance in HBeAg‐positive carrier mothers is closely associated with prepartum low HBeAg titer or HBV‐DNA level.