Double Jeopardy: The Intersection of COVID-19 and Pregnancy in an Educational Hospital, Northern Iran, Gorgan

Tabarraei, Alijan; Hosseini, Seyedeh Delafruz; Banaee, Mahdis; Yasaghi, Mohammad; Rastegar, Mostafa; Hassanpour, Mina; Kashani, Elham; Cools, Piet; Sabzi, Zahra

doi:10.22092/ari.2024.365828.3148

Double Jeopardy: The Intersection of COVID-19 and Pregnancy in an Educational Hospital, Northern Iran, Gorgan

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

¹ Infectious Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.

² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Golestan, Iran

³ Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.

⁴ Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

⁵ Nursing Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.

10.22092/ari.2024.365828.3148

Abstract

With the onset of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 pandemic, there were controversial theories regarding the potential consequences of the virus on pregnant women and delivery outcomes. During the past three years, a great diversity of literature reported various data regarding covid-infected mothers and pregnancy-related complications including preterm birth, stillbirth, preeclampsia, cesarean delivery, etc., however; the exact influences which can be exerted by the virus and possibility of vertical transmission, still remained obscure. Here we described the clinical features and outcomes of delivery in 16 laboratory confirmed COVID-19-infected mothers referring to a hospital in northern Iran from August 2020 to December 2021. Clinical records, laboratory results, and chest CT scans in addition to such samples as maternal peripheral blood, umbilical cord blood, placental blood, vaginal secretion, placental tissue, breast milk after first lactation, and neonatal throat swab and peripheral blood were collected to answer the questions raised on the possibility of vertical transmission of COVID-19 and transferring maternal immunity to the neonates, all the aforementioned specimen were evaluated based on molecular and serological assays. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not detected in vaginal secretions and placental tissue. SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibodies were detected in 15 and 4 maternal blood samples, respectively; in one breast milk sample (IgM), two umbilical cord blood (IgG) samples, two placental blood (IgG) and two neonatal blood (IgG) samples. Chest CT scan of abnormal cases revealed typical signs of viral pneumonia. According to the current study there seems to be associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the risk of preterm birth; however, no intrauterine vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was found. These results also suggest the possibility of passive IgG transfer from the infected mothers to their neonates.

Keywords