tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Int J Clin Pract
. 2021 Mar 24;e14175.
doi: 10.1111/ijcp.14175. Online ahead of print.
Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Milk Produced by Women with COVID-19 and Follow-Up of Their Infants: A Preliminary Study
Talat Kilic[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sebnem Kilic[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Nurcan K?r?c? Berber[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ayten Gunduz[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yasemin Ersoy[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Objectives: Studies have shown that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is primarily transmitted from person to person via airborne droplets.It is unclear whether it can be shed into human milk and transmitted to a child via breastfeeding.We investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in human milk samples of 15 mothers with coronavirus disease 19(COVID-19) and in the throat swab samples of their infants.
Methods: This is a prospective observational study in which breast milk samples were collected from 15 mothers with COVID-19.The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the whole human milk samples of the patients was investigated using RT-qPCR. All of the infants underwent a clinical follow-up during their 14-day isolation and their throat swab samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
Results: Of 15 mothers with COVID-19,SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in milk samples from 4 mothers. The throat swab samples from these mothers'infants were found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.Three of the four mothers were breastfeeding. In addition, during the 14-day isolation,all but three of the mothers breastfed their infants. Of the 12 breastfed infants,while the test for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in throat swab samples was negative in six of the infants, the other six infants,who had mild COVID-19 symptoms,tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.Clinical outcomes of all mothers and infants were uneventful.
Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first case series with the largest number of cases with SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity in human milk samples of mothers with COVID-19. However, we believe that the benefits of breastfeeding may outweigh the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in infants.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 RNA; breastfeeding; human milk; infant.
. 2021 Mar 24;e14175.
doi: 10.1111/ijcp.14175. Online ahead of print.
Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Milk Produced by Women with COVID-19 and Follow-Up of Their Infants: A Preliminary Study
Talat Kilic[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sebnem Kilic[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Nurcan K?r?c? Berber[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ayten Gunduz[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yasemin Ersoy[SUP] 5 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33763939
- DOI: 10.1111/ijcp.14175
Abstract
Objectives: Studies have shown that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is primarily transmitted from person to person via airborne droplets.It is unclear whether it can be shed into human milk and transmitted to a child via breastfeeding.We investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in human milk samples of 15 mothers with coronavirus disease 19(COVID-19) and in the throat swab samples of their infants.
Methods: This is a prospective observational study in which breast milk samples were collected from 15 mothers with COVID-19.The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the whole human milk samples of the patients was investigated using RT-qPCR. All of the infants underwent a clinical follow-up during their 14-day isolation and their throat swab samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
Results: Of 15 mothers with COVID-19,SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in milk samples from 4 mothers. The throat swab samples from these mothers'infants were found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.Three of the four mothers were breastfeeding. In addition, during the 14-day isolation,all but three of the mothers breastfed their infants. Of the 12 breastfed infants,while the test for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in throat swab samples was negative in six of the infants, the other six infants,who had mild COVID-19 symptoms,tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.Clinical outcomes of all mothers and infants were uneventful.
Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first case series with the largest number of cases with SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity in human milk samples of mothers with COVID-19. However, we believe that the benefits of breastfeeding may outweigh the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in infants.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 RNA; breastfeeding; human milk; infant.