Breast-feeding is not a risk factor of mother-tochild transmission of hepatitis b virus

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims at researching the content of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in the breast milk of the mothers carrying HBV and investigating the effects of different feeding methods on mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HBV. Methods: All infants were voluntarily chosen by their mothers and divided into breastfeeding group and formula-feeding group, which were divided into three subgroups, respectively: HBV-DNA negative (HBV-) group, low viral load (LVL) group and high viral load (HVL) group. Results: HBV load in colostrum and mature milk were both significantly lower than in serum (P < 0.001). The positive rate of HBV-DNA in colostrum was positively correlated with HBV load in serum, significantly higher than that of the HBV-Group in colostrum in the LVL Group (P < 0.05), and the HVL Group was significantly higher than the LVL Group (P < 0.001). The analysis of risk factors of HBV infection in infants showed that breast-feeding and HBsAg positive in colostrum did not increase the risks of HBV infection of infants (P >0.05). Conclusion: Breast-feeding is safe for infants with HBV-infected mothers who receive active immunization combined with passive immunization. As well, breast-feeding will neither increase the risks of HBV infection for infants nor weaken their immunity to HBV. However, breast-feeding shall be cautiously applied to pregnant women with high viral load.