Boy infected with coronavirus in utero | Science

The doctor France They reported what they believe to be the first proven case of Covid-19 transmitted to a baby in the womb from a pregnant woman.

The newborn boy developed brain inflammation within a few days of being born. A condition that occurs after the virus crosses the placenta and the infection is established prenatally. Since then he has recovered well.

A case study published in Nature Communications tracks the birth of many babies with Covid-19, who doctors suspect in the uterus have the virus. Until now, they could not rule out the possibility that their baby was infected during or shortly after delivery.

“Unfortunately, the infection in this case is unquestionable,” said Daniel de Luca, dean of pediatrics and neonatal emergency medicine at Antoine-Béclair Hospital in Paris. “Clinicians need to be aware that this can happen. It’s not common, it’s for sure, but it may happen and it has to be considered in clinical training .”

A 23-year-old mother was hospitalized with a fever and a severe cough on March 24 after being infected with the coronavirus late in the third trimester. She tested positive for Covid-19, which arrived shortly.

Three days after the woman was hospitalized, baby monitoring revealed signs of distress and the doctor performed an emergency Caesarean section with her mother under general anesthesia. The baby was immediately isolated in a neonatal intensive care unit and intubated as a result of general anesthesia.

Testing of liquids extracted from baby’s blood and lungs revealed Covid-19 infection, but ruled out other viral, bacterial, and fungal infections. More extensive testing revealed that the virus spread from the mother’s blood to the placenta where it was replicated, causing inflammation and even to the baby.

“The reason this hasn’t been proven so far is because we need a lot of samples,” said De Luca. “We need maternal blood, newborn blood, cord blood, placenta, and amniotic fluid. It’s very difficult to get all these samples in an emergency pandemic.

“There are some suspected cases, but they have remained suspected because no one had the opportunity to test them all to check for placental pathology.”

The highest levels of virus were found in placenta, which is rich in the same receptors in the lungs that the virus uses to enter human cells.

The baby seemed healthy at first, but on the third day, he was frustrated and began to eat badly. He had muscle spasms and moved his head, neck, and back bow backwards. This is a neurological symptom found in some meningitis cases. An MRI scan can then reveal signs of gliosis, a side effect of nerve damage, and can lead to brain scarring.

At the time the boy gave birth, there were no clinical guidelines on how to treat a baby with Covid-19. Doctors considered taking the antiviral drug lemdesibir, but the baby was slowly recovering without help, and no specific medication was given. De Luca said recent follow-up scans are “almost normal”.

“The glass looks half-empty or half-filled. The bad news is that in the history of this case, the virus is attacking and reaching the baby, causing symptoms. Good news is the end of the day. “The baby is very well recovered. The baby is clinically fine,” he said.

“Pregnant women need to be reassured,” added De Luca. “Pregnancy is very controlled, and if you have something like this, you can control it. In most cases, your baby isn’t damaged. There are many things we can do, but close our eyes and It can never be said that it will never happen.”

Asked if pregnant women should be especially alert about keeping their distance and washing their hands to reduce the risk of infection, De Luca said: