ABSTRACT
There is inadequate screening for SARS-COV-2 during pregnancy. We aimed to determine the impact of maternal and neonatal cord blood SARS-COV-2 antibodies and placental transfer ratios in a region with a low screening plan. We performed a blind study in one of the SARS-CoV-2 epicenters in South America. 32% of pregnant women were serological positive. Importantly, there is an efficient passive immunization of the fetus to SARS-CoV-2. We report high incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, which is higher than officially reported. Therefore the need of active immunization to enhance maternal protection and fetal passive immunization.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Fetal Blood/immunology , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Antibodies, Viral/blood , COVID-19/blood , COVID-19/immunology , Ecuador/epidemiology , Female , Fetal Blood/metabolism , Humans , Immunization, Passive/statistics & numerical data , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Immunoglobulin M/blood , Incidence , Infant, Newborn , Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical/statistics & numerical data , Male , Middle Aged , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/blood , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/immunology , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Young AdultABSTRACT
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in economic damage. The immune response elicited from this virus is poorly understood. An alarming number of cases have arisen where COVID-19 patients develop complications on top of the symptoms already associated with SARS, such as thrombosis, injuries of vascular system, kidney, and liver, as well as Kawasaki disease. In this review, a bioinformatics approach was used to elucidate the immune response triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection in primary human lung epithelial and transformed human lung alveolar. Additionally, examined the potential mechanism behind several complications that have been associated with COVID-19 and determined that a specific cytokine storm is leading to excessive neutrophil recruitment. These neutrophils are directly leading to thrombosis, organ damage, and complement activation via neutrophil extracellular trap release.