Hepatitis and the hepatitis-associated antigen (HAA) were studied in 56 mothers who had acute viral hepatitis during pregnancy or within six months of delivery and their infants who were tested for HAA at least once. Twenty-six mothers were HAA-positive during the acute illness, and HAA was found in the infants of ten. In 17 of these women HAA-positive hepatitis occurred within two months of delivery, and eight of their babies were found to be HAA-positive. Hepatitis-associated antigen was found in two of 19 cord bloods tested. The antigen appeared to cross the placental barrier in three cases, and neonatal contamination at birth seemed to occur in one. Persistent antigenemia and protracted subclinical hepatitis were found in all HAA-positive babies.
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Irvin L. Schweitzer (1972) studied this question.