Cord Blood SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibodies and Their Association With Maternal Immunity and Neonatal Outcomes

• Main Authors: Addy Cecilia Helguera-Repetto (Author), Isabel Villegas-Mota (Author), Guadalupe Itzel Arredondo-Pulido (Author), Jorge Arturo Cardona-Pérez (Author), Moises León-Juárez (Author), Maria Antonieta Rivera-Rueda (Author), Gabriela Arreola-Ramírez (Author), Paloma Mateu-Rogell (Author), Sandra Acevedo-Gallegos (Author), Gloria Elena López-Navarrete (Author), María Yolotzin Valdespino-Vázquez (Author), Guadalupe Martínez-Salazar (Author), Mario Rodríguez-Bosch (Author), Irma Alejandra Coronado-Zarco (Author), María del Rosario Castillo-Gutiérrez (Author), Carlos Alberto Cuevas-Jiménez (Author), Elsa Romelia Moreno-Verduzco (Author), Salvador Espino- (Author), Manuel Cortés-Bonilla (Author), Claudine Irles (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-06-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2296-2360; 10.3389/fped.2022.883185
• Keywords: pregnancy; COVID-19; newborn; seropositivity; SARS-CoV-2 antibodies; Pediatrics; RJ1-570
• Source: Frontiers in Pediatrics, Vol 10 (2022)

Passive transplacental immunity is crucial for neonatal protection from infections. Data on the correlation between neonatal immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and protection from adverse outcomes is scarce. This work aimed to describe neonatal seropositivity in the context of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection, seropositivity, and neonatal outcomes. This retrospective nested case-control study enrolled high-risk pregnant women with a SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive test who gave birth at the Instituto Nacional de Perinatología in Mexico City and their term neonates. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in maternal and cord blood samples were detected using a chemiluminescent assay. In total, 63 mother-neonate dyads (mean gestational age 38.4 weeks) were included. Transplacental transfer of SARS-CoV-2 IgG occurred in 76% of neonates from seropositive mothers. A positive association between maternal IgG levels and Cycle threshold (Ct) values of RT-qPCR test for SARS-CoV-2 with neonatal IgG levels was observed. Regarding neonatal outcomes, most seropositive neonates did not require any mechanical ventilation, and none developed any respiratory morbidity (either in the COVID-19 positive or negative groups) compared to 7 seronegative neonates. Furthermore, the odds of neonatal respiratory morbidity exhibited a tendency to decrease when neonatal IgG levels increase. These results add further evidence suggesting passive IgG transfer importance.