Early Identification of IgA Anti-SARSCoV-2 in Milk of Mother With COVID-19 Infection.
Cibele Wolf Lebrão, Manuela Navarro Cruz, Mariliza Henrique da Silva and 4 others
PMID 32985922WHAT IT FOUND
A mother with probable COVID-19 had IgA antibody against SARS-CoV-2 in milk on day 3 after birth.
Her infant tested negative early and had no symptoms through 45 days while exclusively breastfeeding.
Key findings
01IgA anti-SARS-CoV-2 was detected in both hand-expressed milk samples collected on day 3 after delivery.
02The mother had positive serum IgA and IgG ELISA results despite two negative nasopharyngeal RT-PCR tests.
03The infant tested negative by nasopharyngeal RT-PCR within 48 hours of life and had no flu-like symptoms at days 10, 25, and 45.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a single mother-infant case report, so it cannot show that milk IgA protects infants. The diagnosis relied on clinical and radiographic features plus serology, because both nasopharyngeal RT-PCR tests were negative. The ELISA method used for human milk was new and not standardized for that use. The activity of milk IgA against SARS-CoV-2 was not tested. Infant follow-up was short, and no comparison group was included.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. They also stated that none of the authors received funding from companies that produce products related to breastfeeding and that they follow the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that milk IgA protected the infant. It was a single mother-infant case report, the antibody activity was not tested, and the milk ELISA method was not standardized for human milk.