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Review
. 2021 Sep 15:12:743022.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.743022. eCollection 2021.

The Effects of COVID-19 on the Placenta During Pregnancy

Habib Sadeghi Rad  1 , Joan Röhl  1 , Nataly Stylianou  1 , Mark C Allenby  2   3 , Sajad Razavi Bazaz  4 , Majid E Warkiani  4 , Fernando S F Guimaraes  5 , Vicki L Clifton  6 , Arutha Kulasinghe  1   5
Affiliations
Review

The Effects of COVID-19 on the Placenta During Pregnancy

Habib Sadeghi Rad et al. Front Immunol. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic. The virus primarily affects the lungs where it induces respiratory distress syndrome ranging from mild to acute, however, there is a growing body of evidence supporting its negative effects on other system organs that also carry the ACE2 receptor, such as the placenta. The majority of newborns delivered from SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers test negative following delivery, suggesting that there are protective mechanisms within the placenta. There appears to be a higher incidence of pregnancy-related complications in SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers, such as miscarriage, restricted fetal growth, or still-birth. In this review, we discuss the pathobiology of COVID-19 maternal infection and the potential adverse effects associated with viral infection, and the possibility of transplacental transmission.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; placenta; pregnancy; transplacental infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

FSFG is a consultant and has a funded research agreement with Biotheus Inc. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Features, entry methods, and replication of SARS-CoV-2.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The maternal-fetal interface.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Possible mechanisms of transplacental transmission. There are several potential mechanisms involved in the virus’s vertical transmission from mother to fetus. (1) Infection caused by direct villous tree damage. (2) Infection through the maternal endothelium to the extravillous trophoblast. (3) Infection caused by maternal immune cell trafficking and transcellular transport. (4) Infection through the vagina. Adapted from (67).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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