FRIDAY, Sept. 24, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Neonates born to women vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy have high levels of antibodies to the spike protein, according to a study published online Sept. 22 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology: Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
Megan E. Trostle, M.D., from New York University Langone Health in New York City, and colleagues examined the presence of transplacental antibody transmission among women vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy with at least one dose of either mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna). Umbilical cord blood was obtained from 36 neonates at delivery and was analyzed for antibodies to the spike protein (anti-S immunoglobulin [Ig]G) and antibodies to the nucleocapsid protein (anti-N IgG).
The researchers found that 100 percent of neonates were positive for anti-S IgG at high titers: 34 and two with titers of >250 and 201 to 249 U/mL, respectively. Both mothers of neonates with cord blood titers <250 U/mL received their second vaccine dose more than 20 weeks before delivery. Three additional women with an interval from vaccination to delivery of more than 20 weeks had neonates with titers >250 U/mL. All 31 of the 36 samples tested for anti-N IgG were negative. Only one mother had received only one dose of mRNA vaccine before delivery; her neonate was positive for anti-S IgG at a titer of >250 U/mL.
"Our findings add to a growing list of important reasons why women should be advised to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy for the added benefit of their newborn receiving crucial protection," a coauthor said in a statement.
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