An Analysis of 38 Pregnant Women With COVID-19, Their Newborn Infants, and Maternal-Fetal Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: Maternal Coronavirus Infections and Pregnancy Outcomes.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Literature review and aggregated case-series analysis of published case reports
PubMed 32180426 · doi:10.5858/arpa.2020-0901-SA
What was done
The author reviewed literature on previous coronavirus infections (SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV) during pregnancy and analyzed published reports covering 38 pregnant women with COVID-19 and their newborns in China. The analysis examined maternal clinical outcomes and virologic data, including RT-PCR testing of neonatal specimens and placentas, to assess the risk of intrauterine and transplacental transmission.
What was found
Across the 38 pregnant women with COVID-19, no maternal deaths were reported. There were no confirmed cases of intrauterine or transplacental transmission of SARS-CoV-2; all neonatal specimens tested (including placenta samples in some cases) were negative by RT-PCR.
Why it matters
These early pandemic findings provided initial evidence that SARS-CoV-2 differed from SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV by not causing maternal mortality in this cohort and showed no evidence of vertical transmission to fetuses.
Limits
The analysis was limited to 38 patients from early published case reports in China, subject to publication and selection biases. Placental and neonatal testing was not uniformly conducted across all cases, and follow-up was restricted to the perinatal period.
Cited by
- supports A study describing 38 pregnant women with COVID-19 and their newborns in China found no evidence of intrauterine or transplacental transmission of SARS-CoV-2.