Absence of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 virus) within the IVF laboratory using strict patient screening and safety criteria

Rajput, Sandeep; Khan, Shaihla A.; Goheen, Benjamin B.; Engelhorn, Heidi J.; Logsdon, Deirdre M.; Grimm, Courtney K.; Kile, Rebecca; West, Rachel C.; Yuan, Ye; Schoolcraft, William B.; McCormick, S.; Krisher, Rebecca L.; Swain, Jason E.

doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2021.03.005

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Our results are consistent with research that confirmed the absence of viral products or contamination in embryology lab specimens from COVID negative patients [14]. Additionally, a small case reports suggest that the virus is not present in oocytes of COVID positive patients [15], or in semen of COVID recovered patients [16,17], but additional research is necessary.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

ART outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Chamani¹,

Grifo²,

Chung³

et al. 2022

Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol.

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Background: To evaluate whether the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an impact on assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes and assess the possible role of geographic differences in the pandemic's trajectory on these outcomes. Methods: Multi-center retrospective cohort study involving patients who underwent oocyte cryopreservation, in vitro fertilization (IVF), embryo cryopreservation, or frozen euploid embryo transfer in 2019 and 2020 at two academic fertility centers located in regionally distinct areas of the US with high coronavirus infection rates. Patients were screened for infectious symptoms, exposure to sick contacts, and fevers, and tested with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) polymerase chain reaction testing within 5 days of oocyte retrieval. The primary outcomes were the number of oocytes retrieved, embryos fertilized, blastocyst or euploid embryos produced in oocyte retrieval and IVF cycles, and rates of embryo implantation, biochemical pregnancy or no pregnancy following frozen embryo transfer (FET). Results: We found no consistent significant differences in the number of oocytes retrieved, embryos fertilized, blastocysts or euploid embryos produced at either institution over the study period. Furthermore, we did not detect any differences in FET outcomes, including rates of embryo implantation, biochemical pregnancy, or no pregnancy, at either institution during the study time period. Conclusions: There were no significant differences in ART outcomes in patients who received fertility treatment during the pandemic at our centers. Patients and providers can be reassured that with proper testing, sanitizing, and distancing measures, treatments can continue safely during the pandemic without compromising outcomes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

ART outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Chamani¹,

Grifo²,

Chung³

et al. 2022

Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol.

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“…These include exposure to virus shed by asymptomatically infected medical and laboratory personnel during various procedures (handling of gametes, assisted conception, embryo culture, biopsy, vitrification, and thawing), or by infected patients (for example, a male patient contaminating a sample vial during sperm collection, via regular exhalation). The data presented here should inform best practices in the ART clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic, further building on existing recommendations for safety and risk mitigation [51][52][53][54][55].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

SARS-CoV-2 Can Infect Human Embryos

Montaño

Victor

Griffin

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, from parents to early embryos during conception could be catastrophic, but is contingent on the susceptibility of cells of the embryo to infection. Because presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been reported in the human reproductive system, we assessed whether pre-implantation embryos are permissive to SARS-CoV-2 entry. RNA-seq and immunostaining studies revealed presence of two key entry factors in the trophectoderm of blastocyst-stage embryos, the ACE2 receptor and the TMPRSS2 protease. Exposure of blastocysts to fluorescent reporter virions pseudotyped with the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) glycoprotein revealed S-ACE2 dependent entry and fusion. These results indicate that human pre-implantation embryos can be infected by SARS-CoV-2, a finding pertinent to natural human conceptions and assisted reproductive technologies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“…have shown the co-expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 proteins in the mature eggs (MII oocytes), embryos and blastocysts, indicating that these gametes and embryos are potentially susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection if exposed to the virus. [ 2 ] We could not find any study evaluating the lag period between blood positivity and follicular fluid positivity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[ 5 ] Another report also studied the follicular fluid from 300 patients and these all samples were negative for SARS-CoV-2 infections. [ 2 ] Another report on SARS-CoV-2 infected women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) also showed that, the absence of viral RNA in the cumulus cells, endometrial tissue and follicular fluid samples. [ 6 ] COVID-19 infection or the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination has no measurable detrimental effect on the function of the ovarian follicle.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%