Title : Assessement of the Materno-fetal transmission of HCV infections;a propspective observational study.

Today, the main source of pediatric HCV infection is the transmission of the virus from mother to infant. Here, a particular HCV-NS4 antibody and Western blot at 27-kDa were used to detect the HCV-NS4 antigen in serum samples from pregnant women who were infected and their cords. From the serum and cord samples, the HCV-NS4 antigen was isolated and identified as a protein. HCV-NS4 antigen vertical transmission is in place, and when this antigen is passed to newborns, its biochemical characteristics are unaltered. The ELISA found the HCV-NS4 antigen in the sera of pregnant women who were infected with a detection rate of 24.5% in serum, 24.5% in cord samples, and 100% in vertical transmission. The mechanism of delivery had no effect on vertical transmission.