NYMC Faculty Publications
Vertical Transmission of SARS-Cov-2 Delta-Variant in a Preterm Infant
Author Type(s)
Faculty
DOI
10.1186/s12879-024-09420-y
Journal Title
Bmc Infectious Diseases
First Page
537
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-28-2024
Department
Pediatrics
Abstract
BACKGROUND: As SARS-CoV-2 continues to be relevant and cause illnesses, the effect of emerging virus variants on perinatal health remains to be elucidated. It was demonstrated that vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is a relatively rare event in the original SARS-CoV-2 strain. However, very few reports describe vertical transmission related to the delta-variant. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a preterm male neonate born to a mother with positive SARS-CoV-2 and mild respiratory complications. The neonate was born by cesarean section due to fetal distress. The rupture of the amniotic membrane was at delivery. The neonate had expected prematurity-related complications. His nasopharyngeal swabs for RT-PCR were positive from birth till three weeks of age. RT-ddPCR of the Placenta showed a high load of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with subgenomic viral RNA. RNAscope technique demonstrated both the positive strand of the S gene and the orf1ab negative strand. Detection of subgenomic RNA and the orf1ab negative strand indicats active viral replication in the placenta. CONCLUSIONS: Our report demonstrates active viral replication of the SARS-CoV-2 delta-variant in the placenta associated with vertical transmission in a preterm infant.
Recommended Citation
Zia, M. T., Kumar, K., Gamma, E. L., Shakeel, F., Hanna, I., Lin, X., & Hanna, N. (2024). Vertical Transmission of SARS-Cov-2 Delta-Variant in a Preterm Infant. Bmc Infectious Diseases, 24 (1), 537. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-09420-y