Hepatitis B Virus-infected Pregnant Females with Higher Circulating HBsAg Levels Showed Impaired Immune Imprint in their Newborns at Birth

• Transmission of hepatitis B from mother to child:

1. 1. During gestation: Intrauterine
   2. During delivery: Perinatal
   3. After delivery: Postnatal

• HBV chronicity is inversely proportional to age.
• HBV vertical transmission is considered major cause of HBV chronicity in India and other Asian countries.
• Prevalence of HBV infection in pregnant females varies from 1.2% to 1.6% in India.
• Lacunae in literature: No study has utilized analysis of immune system of mother and baby as pair for HBV persistence or clearance.
• According to this analysis:

1. Down regulation of genes was associated with antibodies secretion in Trans mothers
2. New borns showed imprint of their mothers.