Pregnant women infected with the new coronavirus may pass antibodies to the fetus
International war "epidemic" operation
Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, February 1 (intern reporter Zhang Jiaxin) If a woman is infected with new coronary pneumonia during pregnancy, can her child gain immunity to the virus in the womb?
According to the American Life Science Network, a research paper published on January 29 in the well-known American journal "JAMA Pediatrics" in the field of pediatrics shows that the mother's new crown antibody can pass through the placenta, which may protect the fetus from infection.
The researchers analyzed the blood samples of more than 1,470 pregnant women. Of the 83 women who had antibodies to the new coronavirus at the time of delivery, 72 newborns also had antibodies.
This shows that these babies have acquired this passive immunity.
The antibodies that cross the placenta are immunoglobulin G or IgG antibodies, which are produced a few days after infection with the new coronavirus and can provide protection for the human body.
In this study, none of the infants had immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies, which are usually detected shortly after infection, indicating that these infants were not infected with the new coronavirus.
The researchers said that the number of antibodies passed to the baby largely depends on the type and number of antibodies in the mother's body and the length of time the mother has been infected with the new coronavirus during pregnancy.
"The longer the time between maternal infection and delivery, the greater the possibility of antibody transfer." The study authors, Dr. Karen Popolo and Scott Han of Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA Dr. Slee said that this correlation is valid whether the mother is symptomatic or asymptomatic after contracting the new coronavirus.
The researchers pointed out that the transferred antibodies may provide protection for newborns, but it is still necessary to determine what level and type of antibodies are needed to protect newborns from new coronavirus infections and how long these antibodies can last in the newborns.
In addition, another big question is how effective the transferred antibodies "neutralize" the new coronavirus, that is, the ability of the antibodies to prevent the virus from infecting cells.
Dr. Flo Muñoz Rivas, associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, USA, said: “By studying the natural transfer of antibodies after the new coronavirus infection, we can study whether vaccination of pregnant women can provide similar effects to newborns. protection."