Frontiers in Pediatrics (Jun 2022)

Cord Blood SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibodies and Their Association With Maternal Immunity and Neonatal Outcomes

  • Addy Cecilia Helguera-Repetto,
  • Isabel Villegas-Mota,
  • Guadalupe Itzel Arredondo-Pulido,
  • Jorge Arturo Cardona–Pérez,
  • Moises León-Juárez,
  • Maria Antonieta Rivera-Rueda,
  • Gabriela Arreola-Ramírez,
  • Paloma Mateu-Rogell,
  • Sandra Acevedo-Gallegos,
  • Gloria Elena López-Navarrete,
  • María Yolotzin Valdespino-Vázquez,
  • Guadalupe Martínez-Salazar,
  • Mario Rodríguez-Bosch,
  • Irma Alejandra Coronado-Zarco,
  • María del Rosario Castillo-Gutiérrez,
  • Carlos Alberto Cuevas-Jiménez,
  • Elsa Romelia Moreno-Verduzco,
  • Salvador Espino-y-Sosa,
  • Manuel Cortés-Bonilla,
  • Claudine Irles

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2022.883185
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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Passive transplacental immunity is crucial for neonatal protection from infections. Data on the correlation between neonatal immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and protection from adverse outcomes is scarce. This work aimed to describe neonatal seropositivity in the context of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection, seropositivity, and neonatal outcomes. This retrospective nested case-control study enrolled high-risk pregnant women with a SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive test who gave birth at the Instituto Nacional de Perinatología in Mexico City and their term neonates. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in maternal and cord blood samples were detected using a chemiluminescent assay. In total, 63 mother-neonate dyads (mean gestational age 38.4 weeks) were included. Transplacental transfer of SARS-CoV-2 IgG occurred in 76% of neonates from seropositive mothers. A positive association between maternal IgG levels and Cycle threshold (Ct) values of RT-qPCR test for SARS-CoV-2 with neonatal IgG levels was observed. Regarding neonatal outcomes, most seropositive neonates did not require any mechanical ventilation, and none developed any respiratory morbidity (either in the COVID-19 positive or negative groups) compared to 7 seronegative neonates. Furthermore, the odds of neonatal respiratory morbidity exhibited a tendency to decrease when neonatal IgG levels increase. These results add further evidence suggesting passive IgG transfer importance.

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