Objectives: A novel coronavirus -SARS-CoV-2 -outbreak has, for sure, been the greatest medical challenge in recent years. The maternal and neonatal consequences of the infection are still largely unknown. Material and methods:This prospective study aims to describe the perinatal care and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnant women and their newborn infants during the third wave of the pandemic, in a large tertiary university center in Wroclaw/Poland from 15 February to 1 May 2021. Results:The paper describes a group of 83 women with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during delivery, as well as their newborn infants (n = 84). The course of COVID-19 disease in pregnant patients was mostly asymptomatic (54.2%) but 31% women manifested mild to moderate symptoms and 14% had severe infection. The median gestational age at the delivery was 39 weeks. On average, 16.7% of mothers were separated from their newborns at birth, 83.3% practiced skin-to-skin, and roomed in with their babies, and 84.5% of the infants received any mother's milk. Preterm infants were more often born by mothers with symptomatic course of COVID-19 infection. Need for neonatal treatment was only due to prematurity. Neonates with acquired infection (after 14 th day of life) had to be treated symptomatically with fever and loose stools, only 28.5% had symptoms of respiratory failure.Conclusions: Despite the confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, the majority of mother-infant dyads were in a good health condition. The data on perinatal care reported in the paper could be helpful contribution supporting childbirth physiology protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Objective Human milk contains antibodies against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which may serve as a protective factor through passive immunization in infants. The objective of this study was to measure the levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgA in human milk and serum after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Design Breast milk and serum samples from 72 lactating mothers with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic or symptomatic infection were collected 1-229 days after the onset of clinical symptoms related to COVID-19. Seventeen mothers with no history of COVID-19 served as a control group. Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay was performed to analyze antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Results SARS-CoV-2-IgA human milk antibodies were detected in mothers and their concentrations were consistently higher than SARS-CoV-2-IgG antibodies. The serum and breastmilk samples of women with COVID-19 was characterized by a higher concentration of anti-RBD IgA and IgG than the serum from the control group without COVID-19. No statistically significant difference was observed between the antibody levels in the serum samples obtained from symptomatic and asymptomatic women exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and between the antibody level and the time from a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result over the period studied. Conclusion Our results confirm the presence of SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG antibodies in the breastmilk of COVID-19 recovered women and the possibility of these antibodies in providing specific immunologic benefits to breastfeeding infants such as protection against the virus transmission and severity of the acquired COVID-19 disease.
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic significantly influenced aspects of children's nutrition, in particular breastfeeding and the percentage of breastfeeding mothers. During the pandemic, changes in postnatal care have occurred and may result in a global decline of the breastfeeding initiation rate and problems with longterm maintenance of lactation. Mother's milk is not a source of viral infection for a child; on the contrary, due to the presence of antibodies specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it gives the possibility of acquiring passive immune protection. Currently, breastfeeding requires special care and protection. Emphasizing the benefits of human milk should become a priority in obstetric, neonatal and pediatric departments.
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