1. SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibody detection in breast milk from a prospective multicentre study in Spain.
- Author
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Bäuerl C, Randazzo W, Sánchez G, Selma-Royo M, García Verdevio E, Martínez L, Parra-Llorca A, Lerin C, Fumadó V, Crovetto F, Crispi F, Pérez-Cano FJ, Rodríguez G, Ruiz-Redondo G, Campoy C, Martínez-Costa C, and Collado MC
- Subjects
- Adult, Antibodies, Viral analysis, Coronavirus Envelope Proteins analysis, Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins analysis, Female, Humans, Immunoglobulins analysis, Longitudinal Studies, Phosphoproteins analysis, Prospective Studies, RNA, Viral analysis, SARS-CoV-2, Spain, COVID-19 epidemiology, COVID-19 immunology, Milk, Human immunology
- Abstract
Objectives: To develop and validate a specific protocol for SARS-CoV-2 detection in breast milk matrix and to determine the impact of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on the presence, concentration and persistence of specific SARS-CoV-2 antibodies., Design and Patients: This is a prospective, multicentre longitudinal study (April-December 2020) in 60 mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or who have recovered from COVID-19. A control group of 13 women before the pandemic were also included., Setting: Seven health centres from different provinces in Spain., Main Outcome Measures: Presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in breast milk, targeting the N1 region of the nucleocapsid gene and the envelope (E) gene; presence and levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoglobulins (Igs)-IgA, IgG and IgM-in breast milk samples from patients with COVID-19., Results: All breast milk samples showed negative results for presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. We observed high intraindividual and interindividual variability in the antibody response to the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for each of the three isotypes IgA, IgM and IgG. Main Protease (MPro) domain antibodies were also detected in milk. 82.9% (58 of 70) of milk samples were positive for at least one of the three antibody isotypes, with 52.9% of these positive for all three Igs. Positivity rate for IgA was relatively stable over time (65.2%-87.5%), whereas it raised continuously for IgG (from 47.8% for the first 10 days to 87.5% from day 41 up to day 206 post-PCR confirmation)., Conclusions: Our study confirms the safety of breast feeding and highlights the relevance of virus-specific SARS-CoV-2 antibody transfer. This study provides crucial data to support official breastfeeding recommendations based on scientific evidence. Trial registration number NCT04768244., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)
- Published
- 2022
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