Although the hepatitis B virus can penetrate into the genes of liver cells and replicate, it does not penetrate into the genes of other body cells and reproductive cells, so the sperm or eggs of a person with hepatitis B do not contain the hepatitis B virus. These hepatitis B viruses are not in the germ cells, which means they are not inherited, because inheritance means that the disease is passed on to the next generation through the genes, or through the germ cells, whereas hepatitis B is not inherited. Although hepatitis B cannot be inherited, it can be transmitted to the next generation through other means, which is called transmission. In the case of a mother with hepatitis B, it is possible to transmit the disease to her child through intrauterine transmission or during childbirth, but this transmission can usually be interrupted with the use of appropriate means.