Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Human Breast Milk

Rüdiger Groß; Carina Conzelmann; Jan Münch; Janis A Müller

doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-2895-9_11

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Human Breast Milk

Methods Mol Biol. 2023:2610:129-135. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2895-9_11.

Authors

Rüdiger Groß¹, Carina Conzelmann¹, Jan Münch¹, Janis A Müller²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.
² Institute of Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany. janismueller@uni-marburg.de.

PMID: 36534287
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2895-9_11

Abstract

Certain viral pathogens can be shed into the human breast milk and cause infections in the infant upon breastfeeding. Thus, it is important to clarify whether viral RNA as well as infectious virus can be found in breast milk. The complexity of this body fluid poses several challenges for viral RNA isolation and detection of infectious virus. We here provide a protocol that allowed the identification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in breast milk and the isolation of infectious virus after the virus has been artificially spiked into milk samples.

Keywords: Body fluids; Breastfeeding; Viral RNA; Virus diagnostics; Virus isolation; qPCR.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Breast Feeding
COVID-19*
Female
Humans
Infant
Milk, Human
RNA, Viral
SARS-CoV-2*

Substances

RNA, Viral