Is there possibility of vertical transmission of COVID-19: a systematic review

Jiajun Yuan; Han Qian; Shiyan Cao; Bin Dong; Xiaoyu Yan; Shuanghong Luo; Min Zhou; Sha Zhou; Botao Ning; Liebin Zhao

doi:10.21037/tp-20-144

Is there possibility of vertical transmission of COVID-19: a systematic review

Transl Pediatr. 2021 Feb;10(2):423-434. doi: 10.21037/tp-20-144.

Authors

Jiajun Yuan^{1

2}, Han Qian³, Shiyan Cao⁴, Bin Dong¹, Xiaoyu Yan⁵, Shuanghong Luo⁶, Min Zhou¹, Sha Zhou⁷, Botao Ning^{1

3}, Liebin Zhao^{1

2

8}

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
² Children Health Advocacy Institute, China Hospital Development Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
³ Department of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
⁵ Shanghai Institute of Hematology, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
⁷ Department of Hospital Infection Control, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
⁸ School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

In order to investigate the clinical features of pregnant women and their neonates with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the evidence of vertical transmission of COVID-19, we retrieved studies included in PubMed, Medline and Chinese databases from January 1, 2000 to October 25, 2020 using relevant terms, such as 'COVID-19', 'vertical transmission' et al. in 'Title/Abstract'. Case reports and case series were included according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. We conducted literature screening and data extraction, and performed literature bias risk assessment. Total of 13 case series and 16 case reports were collected, including a total of 564 pregnant women with COVID-19 and their 555 neonates, of which 549 neonates received nucleic acid test for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and 18 neonates was diagnosed with COVID-19. The positive rate is 3.28%. Amniotic fluid of one woman was tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The majority of infected neonates were born under strict infection control and received isolation and artificial feeding. Up till now, there is no sufficient evidence to exclude the possibility of vertical transmission for COVID-19 based on the current available data.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); neonates; pregnant women; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); vertical transmission.

Publication types

Review