Abstract
Background: Breast feeding by SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers has been a concern because of the possibility of excretion of virus in breast milk.
Objective: To detect SARS-CoV-2 in expressed breast milk (EBM) of mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2 and clinical outcome of neonates delivered and breast fed by them.
Design: A single-centre, prospective observational study involving 50 SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers and their 51 neonates.
Setting: A tertiary care hospital in Eastern India.
Participants: SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers and neonates delivered by them.
Main outcome measures: We investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the breast milk of mothers, who tested positive for this virus in their nasopharyngeal swab (NPS). Clinical outcome was assessed in neonates breast fed by these mothers after 1 month of the postnatal period.
Results: 50 SARS-CoV-2-positive expectant mothers were enrolled for the study. One out of 51 neonates, who delivered through lower segment caesarean section at term gestation and tested SARS-CoV-2 negative, died due to severe birth asphyxia. One sample of EBM was collected from each of the 49 mothers within 4 days of delivery. All EBM samples tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 through real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR). All the newborns were screened twice for presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in their NPS, by RT-PCR. 2 of 51 neonates had COVID-19 infection after 24 hours of life. Caregivers of 37 of 50 alive neonates responded to follow-up via telephone. Except for minor feed intolerance in one (1 of 37) neonate, all neonates were reported well after 1 month of their age.
Conclusion: All the samples of breast milk were negative for SARS-CoV-2. Most of the neonates remained asymptomatic on breast feeding, whose mothers had SARS-CoV-2 infection before delivery.
Keywords: COVID-19; neonatology.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, neonatology, 【초록키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, prospective observational study, SARS-COV-2 infection, telephone, hospital, India, neonatology, outcome, RT-PCR, virus, observational study, Clinical outcome, Nasopharyngeal swab, Newborn, Neonate, Neonates, Breast, Asymptomatic, COVID-19 infection, clinical, breast milk, Caesarean section, age, Caregivers, SARS-CoV-2 RNA, Follow-up, Care, mother, Caregiver, life, reverse transcriptase, 24 hours, gestation, Breast feeding, birth asphyxia, excretion, positive, MOST, NPs, enrolled, tested, detect, died, reported, investigated, remained, was collected, screened, expressed, 24 hour, EBM, infected with SARS-CoV-2, 【제목키워드】 SARS-CoV-2,