Absence of perinatal transmission of blood-borne non-A, non-B hepatitis virus by chimpanzees with acute and chronic infection.

Two chimpanzees were born to parents with chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis and remained with their mothers until 12 and 18 months, respectively. The infants were followed from 7 to 8 weeks of age with biweekly or monthly blood samples and with monthly liver biopsies from 4 to 7 months after birth. Another chimpanzee, along with both of its parents, was held throughout the parents' acute infection with non-A, non-B hepatitis; at this time the infant was 14–16 months of age, and it was followed with biweekly blood samples and monthly biopsies from the time of potential exposure for 20 months. No abnormalities indicative of non-A, non-B hepatitis were detected in these animals. During the 29 to 35 months of follow-up, alanine aminotransferases and gamma glutamyl-transferases (GGPT) levels remained well within normal range for animals held in the same facility. Histologic and electron microscopic examination of liver tissue revealed no abnormalities.