A new study has found traces of the coronavirus in the stools of newborns whose mothers contracted Covid-19 during pregnancy. The PCR tests of the babies born prematurely were negative.
The team of Melody Weng, Jenny C. Jin, Aparna Ananthanarayanan, Julia A. Brown and others conducted the investigation in the journal Nature released.
Probable transmission of the coronavirus in the womb
The results of the study from New York indicate transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in utero (in the womb). There is also evidence of persistent virus reservoirs in the gut of newborns.
Enhanced induction of these cytokines in the neonatal gut by viral RNAs may affect the development of immune cells and the immune landscape in the neonatal gut, potentially impairing disease susceptibility later in life.
At the NewYork-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center, the physicians have detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA or spike protein in the stool of 11 of 14 premature babies whose mothers had had a corona infection weeks before birth, although the nasal ones PCR swabs from the newborns were negative. Traces of the virus were found on the babies’ first day of life and increased over time in six children.
Most newborns were clinically healthy, with the exception of two preterm infants. One child died of autoimmune liver disease during pregnancy, and a second suffered from an injury to the intestinal mucosa, which is more common in premature babies. However, both diseases have been linked to intestinal inflammation and infection-induced autoantibody responses.
Many doctors share the studies on social media, many speak of worrying results.
What consequences for the immune system of babies?
The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and spike proteins in the neonatal gut may potentially impact the development of the gut microbiome (that is, the bacteria in the gut) and the immune system, the researchers write.
Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms and their clinical implications, according to the science team.
No increased risk of miscarriage after vaccination against Covid-19
one inside The BMJ (British Medical Journal) comes to the conclusion that vaccination against Covid-19 during pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. The exact numbers are 6.5% overall preterm birth in the vaccinated versus 6.9% in the unvaccinated, spontaneous preterm birth in 3.7% of the vaccinated versus 4.4% in the unvaccinated, or very preterm birth in 0, 59% of the vaccinated versus 0.89% of the unvaccinated.
Results were similar depending on timing of vaccination, brand of mRNA vaccine, and number of doses received during pregnancy.