Abstract
The role of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in HBV intrauterine infection is not fully
defined. Particularly the origin of PBMCs in HBV-infected neonates remains to be addressed. We
carried out a population-based nested case-control study by enrolling 312 HBsAg-positive
mothers and their babies. PBMC HBV DNA as well as serum HBsAg and HBV DNA wastested in
cohort entry samples. Totally, 45.5% (142/312) of the newborns were found to be infected with
HBV in perinatal transmission. 119 mother–infant pairs were identified to be different in the genetic profile of maternal and fetal PBMCs by AS-PCR and hemi-nested PCR. Among them, 57.1%
(68/119) of the maternal PBMCs in index caseswere positive for HBV DNA while 83.8% (57/68) of
the HBV DNA positive maternal PBMCs passed the placental barrier and entered the fetus.
Furthermore, maternal PBMC HBV infection was significantly associated with newborn infants
HBV infection. PBMC traffic from mother to fetus resulted in a 9.5-fold increased risk of HBV
infection in PBMC HBV DNA positive newborn infants. These data indicate that maternal PBMCs
infected with HBV contribute to HBV intrauterine infection of newborn infants via PBMC traffic
from mother to fetus.