Analysis of mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis C virus: Quasispecies nature and buoyant densities of maternal virus populations

Abstract

Mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) was analyzed by sequencing of viral RNA and semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction following ultracentrifugation of maternal sera. In two mother-infant pairs, the hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) and carboxyl terminus of envelope 1 (E1) were sequenced. Both viral sequences in the infants were less diverse than those of their mothers. Although the E1 sequences were almost identical in each mother-infant pair, the HVR1 sequences of the infants were related, but not identical, to those of the mothers. Serial examinations of one infant revealed that the HVR1 nucleotide sequence did not change from 10 days to 3 months of age. In six mothers with uninfected infants, all of the dense fractions of sera contained significant amounts of HCV RNA, whereas in six mothers with infected infants, only two of those fractions contained significant amounts of HCV RNA. These results indicate that the strains of HCV detected in the infants were not dominant in the mothers, but were still transmissible to the infants. As dense fractions are known to contain antibody-bound HCV particles, maternal antibodies against HCV may inhibit viral transmission.

Selective Transmission of Hepatitis C Virus Quasi Species through a Needlestick Accident in Acute Resolving Hepatitis

“…Another report showed that the minor variant, rather than the major variant, became the major variant in infected chimpanzee or human lymphocytic cell lines after transmission [20]. Selective transmission of HCV quasi species in humans has been found after receipt of blood transfusion [21], transmission of infection from the mother to the infant [22,23], and after a needlestick injury [24] (as was also confirmed in our study).…”

Maternal Drug Use Is a Preeminent Risk Factor for Mother‐to‐Child Hepatitis C Virus Transmission: Results from a Multicenter Study of 1372 Mother‐Infant Pairs

“…It is possible that some variants may have selective advantages in the infection of offspring [25]. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that infants born to mothers with multiple HCV variants are usually infected by only 1 or few of them [25,26]. Additional support comes from studies of mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission, which suggest that multiple superinfections by different HIV-1 variants favor the transmission of infection from mother to child [27].…”

Prospective study of mother‐to‐infant transmission of hepatitis C virus: a 10‐year survey (1990–2000)

“…Intravenous drug users are at risk of repeated superinfections with different HCV variants, because they share equipment with injecting partners. It is possible that some variants of HCV may have selective advantages in the infection of offspring (21,22).…”