Antibodies in the breastmilk of COVID-19 recovered women

Objective Human milk contains antibodies against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which may serve as a protective factor through passive immunization in infants. The objective of this study was to measure the levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgA in human milk and serum a...

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Published in:BMC pregnancy and childbirth 2022-08, Vol.22 (1), p.1-635, Article 635
Main Authors: Szczygioł, Paulina, Łukianowski, Błażej, Kościelska-Kasprzak, Katarzyna, Jakuszko, Katarzyna, Bartoszek, Dorota, Krajewska, Magdalena, Królak-Olejnik, Barbara
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibodies
Antigens
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding & lactation
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Disease transmission
Enzymes
Hospitals
Human milk
Immunoglobulins, passive immunity
Infections
Medical research
Mothers
Newborn babies
Pandemics
Pregnancy
Premature birth
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Social networks
Software
Statistical analysis
Thrombocytopenia
Thyroid gland
Womens health
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Summary:Objective Human milk contains antibodies against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which may serve as a protective factor through passive immunization in infants. The objective of this study was to measure the levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgA in human milk and serum after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Design Breast milk and serum samples from 72 lactating mothers with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic or symptomatic infection were collected 1-229 days after the onset of clinical symptoms related to COVID-19. Seventeen mothers with no history of COVID-19 served as a control group. Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay was performed to analyze antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Results SARS-CoV-2-IgA human milk antibodies were detected in mothers and their concentrations were consistently higher than SARS-CoV-2-IgG antibodies. The serum and breastmilk samples of women with COVID-19 was characterized by a higher concentration of anti-RBD IgA and IgG than the serum from the control group without COVID-19. No statistically significant difference was observed between the antibody levels in the serum samples obtained from symptomatic and asymptomatic women exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and between the antibody level and the time from a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result over the period studied. Conclusion Our results confirm the presence of SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG antibodies in the breastmilk of COVID-19 recovered women and the possibility of these antibodies in providing specific immunologic benefits to breastfeeding infants such as protection against the virus transmission and severity of the acquired COVID-19 disease.
ISSN:1471-2393
1471-2393
DOI:10.1186/s12884-022-04945-z