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. 2023 Jan 11;18(1):3.
doi: 10.1186/s13006-022-00536-y.

Development of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG and IgA antibodies in serum and milk with different SARS-COV-2 vaccines in lactating women

Carolina Lechosa-Muñiz  1   2 , María Paz-Zulueta  3   4 , Juan Irure-Ventura  5 , Jose Manuel Mendez-Legaza  6 , Rocío Cuesta González  7 , Inés Gómez-Acebo  8   9   10 , Marcos López-Hoyos  5   9   11 , Javier Llorca #  8   10 , María Jesús Cabero-Pérez #  7   8   9   12
Affiliations

Development of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG and IgA antibodies in serum and milk with different SARS-COV-2 vaccines in lactating women

Carolina Lechosa-Muñiz et al. Int Breastfeed J. .

Abstract

Background: Our main objective was to determine the evolution of IgG and IgA antibodies directed against SARS-CoV-2 protein S in the blood of lactating women and in breast milk.

Methods: A cohort of 110 uninfected and vaccinated breastfeeding women was followed-up for 6 months at the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, Spain, in 2020. An additional group of 23 breastfeeding mothers who had no previously documented infection and had not been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 were included as a control group. The antibodies in blood and breast milk and their evolution at 6 months post-vaccination were analysed.

Results: One hundred ten breastfeeding mothers were included; 70 women (63.6%) were vaccinated with two doses of BNT162b2, 20 women (18.2%) received two doses of mRNA-1273, and 20 women (18.2%) received a single dose of ChAdOx1-S. No evidence of differences between concentrations of antibodies was found according to the type of vaccine, with the exception of serum IgA antibodies, which was higher in women vaccinated with mRNA-1273: mean [95%CI]: 0.05 AU/mL [0.03,0.06] with mRNA-1273, 0.02 AU/mL [0.01,0.03] with BNT162b2 and 0.01 AU/mL [0.00,0.03] with ChAdOx1-S, ANOVA p value = 0.03. The lack of difference between vaccines was also found when anti-S1 specific IgG in serum and breast milk were measured.

Conclusions: In lactating women vaccinated against COVID-19, anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies can be detected in both serum and breastmilk 6 months after receiving the second dose, although their concentrations decreased when compared with concentrations reached immediately after vaccination.

Keywords: Adverse effects; Antibodies; Breast milk; Breastfeeding; Maternal immunity; Neonatal immunity; SARS-COV-2 vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Participants & samples
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Concentration of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in breastmilk 6 months after vaccination, according to the type of vaccine. a IgG in serum, b IgA in serum, c IgG in breastmilk, d IgA in breastmilk
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