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Review
. 2023 Apr 27;11(5):1140.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11051140.

Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus-An Update

Diana di Filippo Villa  1 , Maria-Cristina Navas  1
Affiliations
Review

Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus-An Update

Diana di Filippo Villa et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem in the world. Approximately 296 million people are chronically infected. In endemic areas, vertical transmission is a common route of transmission. There are several strategies for the prevention of HBV vertical transmission, such as antiviral treatment during the third trimester of pregnancy and immunoprophylaxis to newborns that includes the administration of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) and an HBV vaccine. Despite this, immunoprophylaxis failure can occur in up to 30% of infants born to HBeAg-positive mothers and/or with high viral load. Therefore, management and prevention of HBV vertical transmission is of paramount significance. In this article, we provided a review of the epidemiology, mechanisms of pathogenesis and risk factors of vertical transmission, as well as the strategies implemented to prevent the infection.

Keywords: antiviral treatment; hepatitis B virus (HBV); immunoprophylaxis; peripheral blood monocellular cells (PBMC); risk factors; vertical transmission.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Global prevalence of chronic HBV. Adapted from source: Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 2020.
Figure 2
Figure 2
HBV vertical transmission mechanisms.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Representation of HBV-infected placental cells. While the percentage of HBV-positive cells decreases per layer when the virus passes from mother to fetus, there is a higher risk of vertical transmission upon contact with the endothelial cells of the villi when compared to the outermost placental layers.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Factors associated with HBV vertical transmission.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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