Determinants of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus among pregnant women in southwestern Nigeria.

Introduction: hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa and a common cause of liver disease globally. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence and the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HBV after the age of viability.

Methods: the study was a cross-sectional study that involved 543 eligible consenting pregnant women and newborns of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive mothers. A one-step rapid HBsAg strip was used to screen eligible patients for HBV infection. Venous blood sample (5mls) was taken from every HBsAg-positive woman for Hepatitis B e Antigen (HBeAg), Hepatitis B e antibody (HBeAb), Hepatitis B core Antibody (HBcAb) and Hepatitis B surface Antibody (HBsAb). In addition, 2mls of cord blood was taken to assay for HBsAg and HBV DNA. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22.

Results: of 543 pregnant women screened, 18 (3.3%) of them were HBsAg-positive with all of them testing negative for HBeAg. HBV DNA was detected in the cord blood of 4 (22.2%) new-borns delivered while 2 (11.1%) tested positive for HBsAg; the above finding indicated that only 4 of the neonates had detectable HBV DNA (>100copies/ml) in their cord blood.

Conclusion: findings from this study demonstrate a low prevalence of HBV infection among pregnant women after the age of viability in Ogbomoso. HBV DNA analysis rather than HBsAg was shown to be more sensitive and specific in determining the risk of intrauterine infections.