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. 2020 Jun 6;395(10239):1757-1758.
doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31181-8. Epub 2020 May 21.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in human breastmilk

Rüdiger Groß  1 , Carina Conzelmann  1 , Janis A Müller  1 , Steffen Stenger  2 , Karin Steinhart  3 , Frank Kirchhoff  1 , Jan Münch  4
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Free PMC article

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in human breastmilk

Rüdiger Groß et al. Lancet. .
Free PMC article

Erratum in

  • Department of Error.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] Lancet. 2020 Sep 12;396(10253):758. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31871-7. Lancet. 2020. PMID: 32919515 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
No abstract available

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timecourse of SARS-CoV-2 infection of two mothers with newborn children After delivery, Mother 1 developed mild COVID-19 symptoms and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Following spatial isolation of Mother 1 with her newborn (Newborn 1), Newborn 1 subsequently tested positive and developed respiratory problems, but both Mother 1 and Newborn 1 recovered. Mother 2 was admitted to the same hospital and room as Mother 1 and Newborn 1. Upon delivery, Mother 2 and Newborn 2 were brought back to the same room as Mother 1 and Newborn 1, and they stayed in the same room until Mother 1 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and isolated. Mother 2 and Newborn 2 were discharged on day 4. Mother 2 developed mild COVID-19 symptoms shortly thereafter and began wearing a surgical mask at all times of the day. Mother 2 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on day 8. 3 days later, Newborn 2 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and was readmitted to hospital because of newborn icterus and severe breathing problems. The child received phototherapy with blue light and ventilation therapy. Newborn 2 tested positive for RSV and SARS-CoV-2 at later timepoints. Mother 1 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 again on day 22, 13 days after first being diagnosed. RT-qPCR analysis of breastmilk samples from both mothers revealed SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the milk of Mother 2 on days 10–13 (red bottles), whereas samples from Mother 1 were negative (white bottles). Dark shading indicates time from first SARS-CoV-2 positive oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swabs. Brackets indicate duration of COVID-19 symptoms. SARS-CoV-2=severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. RSV=respiratory syncytial virus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in breastmilk from an infected mother SARS-CoV-2 RNA was isolated from whole and skimmed breastmilk obtained at different timepoints and analysed by RT-qPCR, using primer sets targeting SARS-CoV-2 N and ORF1b genes. Samples and viral RNA standard were run in duplicates, and isolation and RT-qPCR were repeated in two independent assays. RNA in breastmilk from Mother 2 on day 25 was only isolated once and only analysed by RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2 N. Symbols at baseline indicate no amplification (or Ct>36·5 and no amplification in one replicate). Blue dashed line denotes quantification threshold for N (160 copies per reaction; Ct 34·2) and red dotted line for ORF1b (32 copies per reaction; Ct 35·9). Values below these lines but above baseline indicate amplification in both replicates, but no reliable quantification. Values shown represent mean (SD) from duplicates. SARS-CoV-2=severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Ct=cycle threshold.
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