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. 2020 Oct;127(11):1324-1336.
doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.16362. Epub 2020 Jul 22.

Maternal transmission of SARS-COV-2 to the neonate, and possible routes for such transmission: a systematic review and critical analysis

K F Walker  1 , K O'Donoghue  2 , N Grace  3 , J Dorling  4 , J L Comeau  4 , W Li  5 , J G Thornton  1
Affiliations

Maternal transmission of SARS-COV-2 to the neonate, and possible routes for such transmission: a systematic review and critical analysis

K F Walker et al. BJOG. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Early reports of COVID-19 in pregnancy described management by caesarean, strict isolation of the neonate and formula feeding. Is this practice justified?

Objective: To estimate the risk of the neonate becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2 by mode of delivery, type of infant feeding and mother-infant interaction.

Search strategy: Two biomedical databases were searched between September 2019 and June 2020.

Selection criteria: Case reports or case series of pregnant women with confirmed COVID-19, where neonatal outcomes were reported.

Data collection and analysis: Data were extracted on mode of delivery, infant infection status, infant feeding and mother-infant interaction. For reported infant infection, a critical analysis was performed to evaluate the likelihood of vertical transmission.

Main results: Forty nine studies included information on mode of delivery and infant infection status for 655 women and 666 neonates. In all, 28/666 (4%) tested positive postnatally. Of babies born vaginally, 8/292 (2.7%) tested positivecompared with 20/374 (5.3%) born by Caesarean. Information on feeding and baby separation were often missing, but of reported breastfed babies 7/148 (4.7%) tested positive compared with 3/56 (5.3%) for reported formula fed ones. Of babies reported as nursed with their mother 4/107 (3.7%) tested positive, compared with 6/46 (13%) for those who were reported as isolated.

Conclusions: Neonatal COVID-19 infection is uncommon, rarely symptomatic, and the rate of infection is no greater when the baby is born vaginally, breastfed or remains with the mother.

Tweetable abstract: Risk of neonatal infection with COVID-19 by delivery route, infant feeding and mother-baby interaction.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-COV-2; artificial feeding; birth; breast-feeding; caesarean; disambiguation; duplicate publication; isolation; neonatal infection; pregnancy.

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References

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