Vertical transmission and kidney damage in newborns whose mothers had coronavirus disease 2019 during pregnancy

Vertical Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Miscarriage in the Second Trimester: Report of an Immunohistochemically Proven Case

“…Reports of possible liver damage following vertical transmission of COVID-19 infection exist in the literature [ 4 , 20 ]. Some authors describe abnormal development of the kidneys in cases of COVID-19 infection during the third trimester [ 21 ]. Other recent studies report increased heart rate and higher incidence of cardiac anomalies in neonates with COVID-19 infection [ 4 , 19 , 22 ].…”

SARS-CoV-2 in Pregnant Women: Consequences of Vertical Transmission

“…et al, 2020;Zhu et al, 2020;Chi et al, 2020;Bellos et al, 2021;Cruz-Lemini et al, 2021;Di Toro et al, 2021 Asymptomatic newborns from infected pregnant women Dong et al, 2020;Fenizia et al, 2020;Naz et al, 2020;Zamaniyan et al, 2020;Bellos et al, 2021;Di Toro et al, 2021;Saccone et al, 2021 Newborn experiencing fever, gastrointestinal, and other mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 Golden and Simmons, 2020;Narang et al, 2020;Naz et al, 2020;Zhu et al, 2020;Bellos et al, 2021;Di Toro et al, 2021 Elevated anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibody levels in newborn; Increased immune system activation Chi et al, 2020;Dong et al, 2020;Golden and Simmons, 2020;Naz et al, 2020;Vivanti et al, 2020b;Zhou et al, 2020;Saccone et al, 2021 Abnormalities in liver function for newborn Dong et al, 2020;Naz et al, 2020;Zhu et al, 2020;Cruz-Lemini et al, 2021 Abnormalities in development of neonatal nervous system Knight et al, 2020;Vivanti et al, 2020b;Wu Y.T. et al, 2020 Fetal kidney developmental in He et al, 2021 should be vaccinated as soon as possible due to their increased susceptibility to severe COVID-19 and take all necessary precautions to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection to eventually reduce the chances of vertical transmission and avoid any abnormalities in the growth and development of their child.…”

“…Moreover, there are findings of newborns having abnormalities in their livers after being infected with SARS-CoV-2 as a result of possible vertical transmission ( Dong et al., 2020 ; Zhu et al., 2020 ) possibly hinting at the consequence of various gastrointestinal symptoms of COVID-19 experienced by the newborns [ Table 1 ; ( Dong et al., 2020 ; Golden and Simmons, 2020 ; Liu H. et al., 2020 ; Zhu et al., 2020 )]. In addition, another recent study has indicated that SARS-CoV-2 in the third trimester of pregnancy could cause fetal kidney developmental injury ( He et al., 2021 ). Finally, studies have also illustrated that SARS-CoV-2 infected newborns tended to have faster heart rates or tachycardia or various heart abnormalities ( Golden and Simmons, 2020 ; Liu H. et al., 2020 ; Zhu et al., 2020 ).…”

Research Progress in Vertical Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Among Infants Born to Mothers with COVID-19

“…However, some scholars were surprised to discover that SARS-CoV-2 may infect human placenta through other alternative receptors (DPP4 and CD147) and proteases (Furin), which to some extent testifies to the possibility of vertical transmission [ 5 , 6 ]. Part of the existing studies have found through real-time PCR detection on fetal placental tissue, umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid, vaginal secretions, nasopharyngeal swabs and other specimens of pregnant women and newborns with COVID-19, that SARS-CoV-2 can indeed traverse the placenta and migrate from mother to fetus [ 7 , 8 ]. The mother-to-child vertical transmission rate is inconclusive and fluctuates between 1.6 and 6.3% [ 9 , 10 ], and may have nothing to do with maternal disease severity.…”

“…In some children with genetic susceptibility, the antibodies may interact with neutrophils and macrophages, causing an immune response that results in development of neonatal multisystem inflammatory syndrome, thrombosis and early neonatal heart involvement, including QTc prolongation, atrioventricular block, cardiogenic shock and coronary artery dilation. In addition, studies have also found that newborns delivered by mothers with COVID-19 confirmed in late pregnancy can have kidney developmental damage, which is manifested by increased cystatin C and β2 microglobulin [ 8 ]. It is not clear whether some of the reported mother-to-child complications are caused by viruses or are iatrogenic (for example, caesarean section can cause premature delivery and newborn breathing problems).…”