Transmission of hepatitis C virus infection from asymptomatic mother to child in southern India.

Background: Little information is available on the mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in India, and no interventions to decrease transmission rates have been identified. Hence, we performed a long-term prospective study in infants born to HCV-positive mothers, with the aim of evaluating vertical transmission of HCV and correlated risks factors.

Methods: Three thousand one hundred and fifteen healthy asymptomatic pregnant women were included in the study.

Transmission of "a" determinant variants of hepatitis B virus in immunized babies born to HBsAg carrier mothers.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen mutations may lead to immune escape and eventually cause failure of immunization. In this report, we identified immune escape variants in immunized babies born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carrier mothers. A total of 68 babies were followed up for 2 years after the full course of vaccination; 2.

Prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A and hepatitis E virus in urban school children in Chennai.

With similar feco-oral mode of transmission of Hepatitis A and E viruses, and improving levels of personal hygiene among higher socioeconomic population, periodic surveillance on HAV/HEV exposure pattern may be of immense public health value. One such attempt was made in Tamilnadu, India by analysing the presence of antibodies to HAV and HEV in 185 healthy children of 6 months to 12 years of age. While anti HAV positivity was 96.

Tear secretory IgA: evaluation of usefulness as a diagnostic marker in herpetic keratitis.

In a South Indian study, an 'in-house' enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to evaluate the potential of herpes simplex virus (HSV)-specific tear secretory IgA (sIgA) in the diagnosis of herpes simplex keratitis (HSK). The presence of HSV-specific tear sIgA was found to be diagnostic in 20.28% of cases.