A report of an infant with asymptomatic HBs antigenemia: Transmission of hepatitis B virus from her father by a blood transfusion

Abstract

This is a report of an infant, who had a transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) from her father. The 44-day-old female infant had a emergency blood transfusion before a cardiac surgery from her father. After the operation, her father turned out to be an asymptomatic HBV carrier without any clinical signs. Subsequently she developed persistent HBs antigememia Her liver-function tests had been entirely unremarkable. The postmortem examination of liver histologically showed no diagnostic changes. Her mother was negative for HBV antigens in blood. Therefore, it was obvious that she became an asymptomatic persistent HBs antigenemia following blood transfusion from her father. Also discussed were pathogenesis of hepatiti sB and applicable mechanism whereby asymptomatic HBV carrier condition could develop.