Abstract
Between November 1985 and January 1988, a total of 18 children born to HIV-infected mothers were Identified. Seventeen of these pregnant women were IV drug abusers, one was a sexual partner of a high risk male and four of them were also prostitutes. All 18 women were symptom-free during pregnancy and only two developed HIV infection. Nine children were delivered by caesarean section and nine vaginally. All newborns were HIV-seropositive by ELISA and Western-blot at birth. Seven children had lost antibody at a median time of nine months, were negative for HIV antigen and remained asymptomatic at a mean age of 20 months. Six children were HIV-antibody positive at a median age of 7.3 months but were HIV-antigen negative and were clinically well. Four children developed HIV infection; two of them had serum HIV-antigen. Another child remained seropositive at 24 months and a fourth patient had persistant HIV-antibody together with a cellular and humoral immunodeficiency and clinical stage of P-2-A. Of these four HIV-infected children, only two were delivered by caesarean section and none of them were breastfed. One child did not come to follow-up control. Prevalence of vertical transmission of HIV from infected mothers to children in our seroepidemiological study was 23.5%, however this percentage may become higher if closer contact of all high risk pregnant women is achieved. In our small series, neither the mode of delivery, nor breast-feeding, were related to vertically transmitted HIV infection.
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Bosch, M., Puig, I., Bonastre, M. et al. 5. VERTICAL TRANSMISSION OF HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS. Pediatr Res 24, 654 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198811000-00027
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198811000-00027