Efficacy of Birth Dose Vaccination in Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of Hepatitis B: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Engerix-B and Sci-B-Vac.

Peripartum transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) from an infected mother to the child can be prevented in most but not all cases by immediate vaccination of the newborn. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of two licensed hepatitis B vaccines, Engerix-B versus Sci-B-Vac, in preventing peripartum HBV transmission. A prospective multicenter randomized controlled study in 4 delivery centers was performed from 2009 to 2014.

A novel hepatitis B virus species discovered in capuchin monkeys sheds new light on the evolution of primate hepadnaviruses.

Background & Aims: All known hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes occur in humans and hominoid Old World non-human primates (NHPs). The divergent woolly monkey HBV (WMHBV) forms another orthohepadnavirus species. The evolutionary origins of HBV are unclear.

Activity of nucleic acid polymers in rodent models of HBV infection.

Nucleic acid polymers (NAPs) block the release of HBsAg from infected hepatocytes. These compounds have been previously shown to have the unique ability to eliminate serum surface antigen in DHBV-infected Pekin ducks and achieve multilog reduction of HBsAg or HBsAg loss in patients with chronic HBV infection and HBV/HDV coinfection. In ducks and humans, the blockage of HBsAg release by NAPs occurs by the selective targeting of the assembly and/or secretion of subviral particles (SVPs).