Babies born with antibodies against Covid-19, this is explained by experts in neonatology

KOMPAS.com – Celine Ng-Chan, a Singaporean mother gave birth to a baby in early November 2020. Interestingly, although Ng-Chan tested positive for Covid-19 during pregnancy, the baby was said to have Covid-19 antibodies.

After birth, the baby, named Aldrin, was declared healthy. No SARS-CoV-2 corona virus was detected in his body, instead, Aldrin was born with the corona virus antibody.

“The doctor suspected that she had transferred Covid-19 antibodies to him (the baby) during the pregnancy,” Ng-Chan told the Straits Times.

This phenomenon is rare. However, can Covid-19 antibodies be transmitted vertically?

Also read: Corona positive mothers in Singapore give birth to babies with Covid-19 antibodies, why?

In response to this question, Kompas.com contacted a neonatologist consultant or neonatal health care specialist, dr. Alifah Anggraini, MSc, SpAK.

Alifah said that so far the World Health Organization (WHO) has not announced that the Covid-19 infection can be transmitted or transmitted vertically.

“In the news, I tried to find the original story, but it was not clear what kind of antibody it was supposed to be,” Alifah said on Monday (11/30/2020).

Expert in Neonatology of the Perinatology division, Department of Child Health, Faculty of Medicine-Public Health and Nursing (FK-KMK) Gadjah Mada University (UGM) / Maternal Perinatal Facility RSUP dr. Sardjito, Yogyakarta, explained that there are generally two types of antibodies that play a role in Covid-19 infection.

First, the immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody. IgM is an antibody that appears early in infection. The mother cannot transfer the IgM type of antibody through the placenta.

While the second type of antibody is called immunoglobulin G (IgG). In fact, these IgG antibodies can be transferred from the mother through the placenta.

“Well, if what is meant by the antibody in the news (the Singaporean mother) is IgG, then it is still possible for the mother to transfer the antibodies,” Alifah said.

“Meanwhile, if what is meant by IgM antibodies, it is possible that the baby’s own IgM immunity is formed, so it can be suspected that the baby is exposed to the Covid-19 virus,” he added.

However, according to the research report read by Alifah, there is no evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 corona virus can be transmitted through the placenta or what is known as vertical transmission.

“Because to test it, we should be able to find viruses in the placenta and amniotic fluid,” he explained.

As for how long the antibodies last, Alifah has yet to receive a referral to answer it.

SHUTTERSTOCK / Kateryna Kon Illustration of antibodies attacking the SARS-CoV-2 corona virus that causes Covid-19.

Babies with Covid-19 antibodies, what does it mean to be immune to the SARS-CoV-2 corona virus?

Alifah explained that, of the many reports related to IgG antibodies that were monitored at birth, most of the babies did not experience symptoms of covid.

However, if the baby is immune to Covid-19, Alifah said that so far our knowledge has not been able to answer this.

This means that a lot of research and scientific evidence is still needed to answer this.

Alifah also said that the question of whether Covid-19 antibodies meant they would make someone immune also applies to Covid-19 survivors who have been declared cured.

“In fact, many of them (Covid-19 survivors) have experienced a reinfection or reinfection,” he explained.

There are several diseases that have been shown to occur vertically, for example, hepatitis B infection in the mother, HIV infection in the mother.

“For Covid-19, so far it has not been shown to be capable of vertically transmitting,” he concluded.

SHUTTERSTOCK / angellodeco Illustration of an antibody test against SARS-CoV-2. Scientists have found a faster and more accurate way to detect Covid-19 antibodies using only saliva samples.

Investigation

The study, published in the Wiley Online Library on October 22, 2020, reports on the possibility of vertical transmission and natural antibodies against the corona virus SARS-CoV-2 among newborns with Covid-19 mothers.

The study analyzed 517 studies, of which 33 articles met inclusion criteria such as prevention and control of infection at birth.

A total of 205 babies born to Covid-19 positive mothers were studied.

Overall, 6.3 percent (around 13 babies) tested positive for Covid-19 at birth.

Of the 33 eligible studies, six studies reported immunoglobulin G / M (IgG / IgM) antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

IgG / IgM was detected in 90 percent of babies (10 out of 11 babies) who tested negative for the Covid-19 virus. The mean levels of antibodies detected were 75.49 AU / ml (range, 7.25-140.32 AU / ml) and 3.79 AU / ml (range, 0.16-45.83 AU / ml), p = 0.0041, respectively for IgG and IgM.

Also read: Babies born with Covid-19 antibodies also occur in China and Italy

The report concluded that current evidence reveals a low probability of vertical transmission of Covid-19 and antibodies to the SARS coronavirus? CoV-2 was detected among the vertically exposed but negative infants.

“More studies are urgently needed on transplacental transmission and the magnitude of natural antibodies in babies born to mothers with Covid-19,” the researchers wrote in their report.