Evidence is built that pregnant women pass Covid antibodies to newborns

One of the many major questions scientists are trying to solve is whether a person infected with Covid-19 during pregnancy gives the newborn innate immunity.

Recent research It hinted that they might do so.And new discoveryPublished in the journal JAM Pediatrics on Friday, we will provide another piece of the puzzle, providing more evidence that the Covid-19 antibody can cross the placenta.

“What we have found is quite consistent with what we have learned from the study of other viruses,” said an associate professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine Perelman and one of the senior authors of the University of Pennsylvania. Scott E. Hensley said. Research.

He added that the study not only transfers antibodies to the fetus, but also transfers more antibodies to the baby if infected early in pregnancy. Dr. Hensley said this could affect when women were vaccinated against Covid-19, adding that vaccination of women in early pregnancy could have more protective effects. I did.

In this study, researchers in Pennsylvania tested more than 1,500 women who gave birth at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia between April and August last year. Of these, 83 women were found to have Covid-19 antibodies. After childbirth, 72 babies were positive for Covid-19 antibody via cord blood, regardless of whether the mother had symptoms.

According to Dr. Karen Puopolo, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the senior authors of the study, about half of those babies have antibody levels equal to or higher than those found in their mother’s blood. I had it. In about a quarter of the cases, antibody levels in cord blood were 1.5 to 2 times higher than the mother’s.

“It’s pretty efficient,” said Dr. Puopolo.

Researchers also observed that the longer the time between the onset of Covid-19 infection and delivery in pregnant women, the more antibodies were transferred. This has been pointed out elsewhere.

The antibody that passed through the placenta was an immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody. This is the type that is created a few days after infection and is thought to provide long-term protection against the coronavirus.

None of the babies in this study had immunoglobulin M or IgM antibodies. This is usually detected only immediately after infection, suggesting that the baby is not infected with the coronavirus.

Experts do not yet know if the amount of antibody passed to the baby was sufficient to prevent the newborn from becoming infected with Covid-19. Also, because only a few of the babies studied are preterm infants, researchers cannot determine whether preterm infants may miss these protective antibodies. The authors of the study also stated that their results were from only one facility and that the findings need to be further reproduced.

Dr. Denise Jamieson, an obstetrician at Emory University in Atlanta and a member of the Covid Expert Group of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, states that the placenta is a complex organ and is being studied. Research.

Dr. Andrea G. Edrow, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard University School of Medicine, to better understand whether vaccine-produced antibodies behave similarly to antibodies from Covid-19 infection. He said further research is needed.

To Research For example, Dr. Edlow and her colleagues, published in Cell in December, found that naturally infected Covid-19 antibodies are more efficient at crossing the placenta than antibodies produced after vaccination against influenza and whooping cough (whooping cough). I found that it could be low.

“What we really want to know is that antibodies from the vaccine pass through the placenta efficiently and protect the baby. The way we know happens with influenza and whooping cough,” said Dr. Jamison. Told.

Experts don’t know if the Covid vaccine works this way. Pregnant women were excluded From the first clinical trial.

“It’s plausible that the Covid vaccine protects both pregnant mothers and their babies,” said Dr. Mark Turrentine, a member of ACOG’s Covid expert group. “For me,” he added. Women participating in clinical trials such as the Covid-19 vaccine are essential, especially if the benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential risks of life-threatening illness. “