Effectiveness of Hepatitis B Vaccination in Babies Born to Hepatitis B Surface Antigen-Positive Mothers in Italy

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1: J Infect Dis 2001 Aug 14;184(7) [epub ahead of print]

Effectiveness of Hepatitis B Vaccination in Babies Born to Hepatitis B

Surface Antigen-Positive Mothers in Italy.

Mele A, Tancredi F, Romano L, Giuseppone A, Colucci M, Sangiuolo A, Lecce R,

Adamo B, Tosti ME, Taliani G, Zanetti AR.

Reparto di Epidemiologia Clinica, Istituto Superiore di Sanita, 00161 Rome,

Italy. amele@...

This study examined 522 children born to hepatitis B surface antigen

(HBsAg)-positive mothers from 1985 through 1994 and evaluated the protection

provided by anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) immunization at birth. Babies were

given hepatitis B immunoglobulin and hepatitis B vaccine at birth. At 5-14

years after immunization, 17 children (3.3%) were anti-HB core antigen

positive, and 3 also were HBsAg positive. One carrier child had a double

mutation, with substitution of proline-->serine at codons 120 (P120S) and

127 (P127S) within the a determinant of HBsAg. Of the 522 children, 400

(79.2%) of 505 still had protective anti-HBsAg titers >/=10 mIU/mL. Thus,

HBV vaccination of children born to HBsAg-positive mothers is effective and

confers long-term immunity. There is no evidence that the emergence of HBV

escape mutants secondary to the immune pressure against wild-type HBV is of

concern.

PMID: 11509998 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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