A new study sheds light on how, in some rare cases, coronavirus may have caused brain damage in babies, who apparently got the infection inside the womb of their mothers who got infected during pregnancy. Experts have often raised suspicion but the researchers claim that it was the first study to confirm cross-placental SARS-Cov-2 transmission leading to brain injury in the newborn.
A study published by the University of Miami in the journal Pediatrics on Thursday reported two confirmed cases in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus crossed a mother’s placenta and caused brain damage in the babies.
The young mothers, who gave birth to the babies, had tested positive for the virus during their second trimester at the height of the pandemic’s Delta wave in 2020. This was even before the Covid vaccines were available.
Babies had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies
The study shared details about the case. It revealed that the babies, who were admitted to Holtz Children’s Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Centre, had tested negative for the virus at birth.
However, their reports showed a significant rise of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies detectable in blood. The reports indicate that either the antibodies crossed the placenta, or passage of the virus occurred and it was the baby’s immune response.
The study further revealed that both infants experienced seizures, had small head sizes and developmental delays, and one infant died at 13 months of age.
As quoted by the news agency Reuters, Dr Michael Paidas, chair of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Miami, told the briefing: “This is the first time that we have been able to demonstrate the virus in a fetal organ with the transplacental passage. That’s why we think this is so important.”
As quoted by Inventum, Shahnaz Duara, who is the professor of paediatrics at the Miller School of Medicine, and medical director of the NICU at Holtz Children’s Hospital said, “Many women are affected by COVID-19 during pregnancy, but to see these kinds of problems in their infants at birth was clearly unusual.”
Duara, who is also the senior author of the study, further noted: “We are trying to understand what made these two pregnancies different so we can direct research toward protecting vulnerable babies.”
Several viruses, such as Cytomegalovirus, Rubella, HIV and Zika, are capable of crossing the placenta and causing fetal brain damage.
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