April 7, 2023 – Researchers say they've discovered two rare cases during which the coronavirus broke through a mother's placenta and caused brain damage within the infants she carried.
The two babies were born in 2020 – in the course of the delta wave of the pandemic, when COVID-19 vaccines weren't yet available – to young moms who tested positive for the virus within the second trimester, in accordance with the study published within the journal.Pediatrics.
Both infants had seizures, small heads and developmental delays, in accordance with a Press release from the Miller School of Medicine on the University of Miami. One infant died on the age of 13 months, the second child is in hospice care.
Evidence of COVID infection was present in each placentas and likewise within the brain of the deceased infant, the study says.
Although each babies tested negative for COVID at birth, higher levels of antibodies were present in their blood, meaning that either the antibodies crossed the placenta or the virus was transmitted and the immune response got here from the infant, the press release said.
“This is the first study to confirm placental transmission of SARS-CoV-2 leading to brain damage in newborns,” the press release states.
The researchers said these were rare cases they usually had seen a whole lot of girls who tested positive for COVID and gave birth to healthy babies.
“We need to continue our research to understand why these two babies experienced such devastating outcomes,” said Dr. Merline Benny, assistant professor of pediatrics, neonatologist and lead writer of the article. “If we fully understand the causes, we can develop the most appropriate interventions.”
Researchers recommend precautions reminiscent of COVID vaccination before and while pregnant and breastfeeding, in addition to wearing a mask if the mother is infected.