CHICAGO, April 6 (Reuters) – (This April 6 article has been amended to remove the reference to the Delta variant in paragraph 3, clarifying that the variant that infected the mother was not identified. and deleted the last paragraph)
Researchers at the University of Miami reported Thursday they believe they are the first two confirmed cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus crossing the mother’s placenta and causing brain damage in a pregnant infant. bottom.
Doctors had previously suspected that possibility, but so far there has been no direct evidence of COVID-19 in the mother’s placenta or the infant’s brain, the team told reporters at a news briefing. told to
The baby was born to a young mother who tested positive for the virus in her second trimester, before a vaccine was widely available. The case study was published in the journal Pediatrics.
Several viruses are known to cross the placenta and damage the fetal brain, including cytomegalovirus, rubella, HIV, and Zika virus. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been detected in adult brain tissue, and some experts suspected it could also damage fetal brain tissue.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to demonstrate a virus in the fetal organ with transplacental passage,” said Dr. Michael Pydas of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Miami. “That’s why we think this is so important.”
The newborn had seizures from the first day of life. However, unlike Zika, babies were not born with microcephaly, which is characterized by small head size. Instead, over time, microcephaly developed because their brains stopped growing at their normal rate, the team said.
Both infants had severe developmental delay. One of his children died when he was 13 months old, and another of hers was in hospice care, the team said.
Neither infant tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but had high levels of COVID antibodies in their blood, Dr. Merline Benny, a neonatologist and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Miami, told a briefing. She said it suggested the virus passed from the mother to the baby through the placenta.
The team found evidence of the virus in the placenta of both mothers. An autopsy of the deceased child’s brain found the COVID virus in the brain, suggesting a direct infection caused the damage, Benny said.
As for the mothers, both tested positive for the virus, but one woman had only mild symptoms and gave birth at full term, and the other woman was so ill that doctors decided to give birth to the baby at 32 weeks of gestation. I had to give birth.
Dr. Sharnaz Douala, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the University of Miami, believes the case is rare, but recommends that women infected during pregnancy have their child’s pediatrician checked for developmental delays. urged to notify
“We know that the seven or eight years old can be pretty nuanced until a child goes to school,” she said.
The team also urged women considering pregnancy to get vaccinated against COVID, and said pregnant women should consider getting vaccinated.
Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen.Editing by David Gregorio
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