Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Milk Produced by Women with COVID-19
and Follow-Up of Their Infants: A Preliminary Study
Abstract
Objectives: Studies have shown that severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is primarily transmitted from person to
person via airborne droplets. It is unclear whether it can be shed into
human milk and transmitted to a child via breastfeeding.We investigated
the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in human milk samples of 15 mothers with
coronavirus disease 19(COVID-19) and in the throat swab samples of their
infants. Methods: This is a prospective observational study in which
breast milk samples were collected from 15 mothers with COVID-19. The
presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the whole human milk samples of the
patients was investigated using RT-qPCR. All of the infants underwent a
clinical follow-up during their 14-day isolation and their throat swab
samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Results: Of 15 mothers with
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in milk samples from 4 mothers.
The throat swab samples from these mothers’ infants were found to be
positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Three of the four mothers were
breastfeeding. In addition, during the 14-day isolation, all but three
of the mothers breastfed their infants. Of the 12 breastfed infants,
while the test for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in throat swab samples was negative in
six of the infants, the other six infants, who had mild COVID-19
symptoms, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.Clinical outcomes of all
mothers and infants were uneventful. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this
is the first case series with the largest number of cases with
SARS-CoV-2 RNA positivity in human milk samples of mothers with
COVID-19. However, we believe that the benefits of breastfeeding may
outweigh the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in infants