Probable viremia and positive placental swabs for SARS‐CoV‐2 in a preterm pregnant woman with mild COVID‐19. Issue 12 (28th July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Akdemir, Yesim; Haciseyitoglu, Demet; Celebi, Guven; Aydemir, Cumhur; Bahadır, Burak; Cakir, Anil T.; Barut, Aykut; Ozmen, Ulku
• Other Names: Luo Guangxiang (George) guestEditor.; Ly Hinh guestEditor.; Gao Shou‐Jiang guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Journal of medical virology. Volume 93:Issue 12(2021)
• Page Start: 6788
• Page End: 6793
• Publication Date: 2021-07-28
• Subjects: COVID‐19 -- placenta -- pregnancy -- SARS‐CoV‐2 -- vertical transmission; Virology -- Periodicals; 616
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27202
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0146-6615

Abstract

Highlights: Viremia of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) could occur after incubation period and could lead to vertical transmission. Placenta is the main barrier against viral infections as it has an organ specific antiviral mechanism. Not all neonates of infected pregnant women are infected with novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19). More evidence of placental SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA increases fears about congenital infections that its effects will be in a spectrum between maternal immune activation related neonatal disorders and congenital anomalies or syndromes. Further investigations which will be focusing short and long term effects of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection on neonates in different trimesters of pregnancy are needed. Abstract: This study aimed to report a case of mild novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) in a pregnant woman with probable viremia, as reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) testing of endometrial and placental swabs for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) was positive. A 26‐year‐old multigravida at 35 weeks 2 days of gestation, who had extensive thigh and abdominal cellulitis, tested SARS‐CoV‐2 positive by RT‐PCR performed on samples from the endometrium and maternal side of the placenta. However, other samples (amniotic fluid, fetal side of the placenta, umbilical cord, maternal vagina, and neonatal nasopharynx) tested negative for SARS‐CoV‐2. This is one of the rare reports of probable SARS‐CoV‐2 viremia with the presence of SARS‐CoV‐2 in the endometrium and placenta, but not leading to vertical transmission and neonatal infection. Because knowledge about transplacental transmission and results is very limited, we conclude that more RT‐PCR tests on placental and cord blood samples are needed in order to safely make definite conclusions.