SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibody detection in breast milk from a prospective multicentre study in Spain
Metadatos
Mostrar el registro completo del ítemEditorial
BMJ
Materia
COVID-19 Microbiology Neonatology Global health
Fecha
2021-08-20Referencia bibliográfica
Bäuerl C... [et al.]. SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibody detection in breast milk from a prospective multicentre study in SpainArchives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition Published Online First: 20 August 2021. doi: [10.1136/archdischild-2021-322463]
Patrocinador
Fundacion La Marato-TV3 202106Resumen
Objectives To develop and validate a specific protocol
for SARS-CoV-
2 detection in breast milk matrix and to
determine the impact of maternal SARS-CoV-
2 infection
on the presence, concentration and persistence of
specific SARS-CoV-
2 antibodies.
Design and patients This is a prospective, multicentre
longitudinal study (April–December 2020) in 60 mothers
with SARS-CoV-
2 infection and/or who have recovered
from COVID-19. A control group of 13 women before the
pandemic were also included.
Setting Seven health centres from different provinces
in Spain.
Main outcome measures Presence of SARS-CoV-
2
RNA in breast milk, targeting the N1 region of the
nucleocapsid gene and the envelope (E) gene; presence
and levels of SARS-CoV-
2-specific
immunoglobulins
(Igs)—IgA, IgG and IgM—in breast milk samples from
patients with COVID-19.
Results All breast milk samples showed negative
results for presence of SARS-CoV-
2 RNA. We observed
high intraindividual and interindividual variability in
the antibody response to the receptor-binding
domain
of the SARS-CoV-
2 spike protein for each of the three
isotypes IgA, IgM and IgG. Main Protease (MPro)
domain antibodies were also detected in milk. 82.9%
(58 of 70) of milk samples were positive for at least
one of the three antibody isotypes, with 52.9% of these
positive for all three Igs. Positivity rate for IgA was
relatively stable over time (65.2%–87.5%), whereas
it raised continuously for IgG (from 47.8% for the first
10 days to 87.5% from day 41 up to day 206 post-PCR
confirmation).
Conclusions Our study confirms the safety of breast
feeding and highlights the relevance of virus-specific
SARS-CoV-
2 antibody transfer. This study provides crucial
data to support official breastfeeding recommendations
based on scientific evidence.