Babies Receive Anti-Covid-19 Antibodies From Their Mothers In The Womb, Study Finds

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The results also suggest that vaccinating pregnant women might also protect their unborn babies, the researchers said – and it’s worth investigating that possibility. Pregnant women are advised to get the flu shot to protect themselves and their babies.

Newborn specialist Dr. Dustin Flannery of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and his colleagues have studied more than 1,400 mothers and newborns. They found that protective IgG antibodies were transferred across the placenta in 72 of 83 infected or previously infected pregnant women studied.

None of the babies of infected mothers developed coronavirus infection. And 60% of women who had antibodies to the coronavirus had no symptoms, the researchers reported.

“Could maternal antibodies help delay the onset of infection or prevent the infant from becoming infected, having serious illness or dying from COVID-19?” asked Dr Flor Munoz, molecular virologist at Baylor College of Medicine, who was not involved in the research.

Newborns are vulnerable to infection and any protection would be welcome, Munoz wrote in an accompanying commentary. But it is also known that antibodies against other viruses, such as influenza or tetanus, dissipate quickly when transmitted from mother to infant during pregnancy, so it would be important to study when and how to vaccinate them. infants, said Munoz.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that babies be vaccinated against the flu at six months, for example, even if mothers were vaccinated during pregnancy.

“How well can antibodies transferred by breast milk protect nursing newborns?” Munoz asked.

“Should infants be vaccinated regardless of maternal infection and, if so, when is the best time to initiate childhood vaccines? Is there a potential adverse effect of maternal antibodies on infant responses to active vaccination? And what would be the optimal vaccine and vaccination schedule for infants, given their unique risk and immunological needs? “

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