No infectious SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk from a cohort of 110 lactating women.
Pediatr Res
; 92(4): 1140-1145, 2022 10.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35042956
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Genomic RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been detected in the breast milk of lactating women, but its pathological significance has remained uncertain due to the small size of prior studies.METHODS:
Breast milk from 110 lactating women was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (285 samples) and viral culture (160 samples). Those containing SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA (vRNA) were examined for the presence of subgenomic RNA (sgRNA), a putative marker of infectivity.RESULTS:
Sixty-five women had a positive SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test, 9 had symptoms but negative diagnostic tests, and 36 symptomatic women were not tested. SARS-CoV-2 vRNA was detected in the milk of 7 (6%) women with either a confirmed infection or symptomatic illness, including 6 of 65 (9%) women with a positive SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test. Infectious virus was not detected in any culture and none had detectable sgRNA. In control experiments, infectious SARS-CoV-2 could be cultured after addition to breastmilk despite several freeze-thaw cycles, as it occurs in the storage and usage of human milk.CONCLUSIONS:
SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be found infrequently in the breastmilk after recent infection, but we found no evidence that breastmilk contains an infectious virus or that breastfeeding represents a risk factor for transmission of infection to infants. IMPACT This article goes beyond prior small studies to provide evidence that infectious SARS-CoV-2 is not present in the milk of lactating women with recent infection, even when SARS-CoV-2 RNA is detected. Recent SARS-CoV-2 infection or detection of its RNA in human milk is not a contraindication to breastfeeding.
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
COVID-19
/
Mastitis
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Female
/
Humans
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Infant
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Male
Idioma:
En
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article