SARS-CoV-2 is not present in the vaginal fluid of pregnant women with COVID-19

The Journal of Maternal-fetal & Neonatal Medicine : the Official Journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians
Mehmet Musa AslanSelçuk Özden

Abstract

Data concerning the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the female genital system is scarce; however, this information is important for understanding whether the virus can transmit sexually or from mother to child. The aim of this study was to investigate whether pregnant women with COVID-19 have virus in their lower genital tract. In this cross-sectional study, we present an analysis of prospectively gathered data collected at a single tertiary university hospital from 19 April to 19 May 2020. We included 13 pregnant women hospitalized with suspected COVID-19. Results of laboratory tests, imaging tests, and nucleic acid tests on vaginal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 were also analyzed for pregnant women with a clinical diagnosis of COVID-19. Twelve pregnant women with confirmed COVID-19 were included in this study. Mean age was 32 ± 7.9 years. All patients had mild symptoms and were followed in the maternity ward, with none of them needing critical care unit follow-up. All lower genital tract samples were negative for SARS-CoV-2. We demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 was not present in the vaginal fluid of pregnant women. This finding may indicate that the female genital tract is not a route of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

References

Jun 28, 2018·The Journal of Maternal-fetal & Neonatal Medicine : the Official Journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians·Venkat Reddy KallemAnish Pillai
Jan 25, 2020·The New England Journal of Medicine·Na ZhuUNKNOWN China Novel Coronavirus Investigating and Research Team
Mar 5, 2020·BJOG : an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology·Msq ChuaH K Tan
Apr 3, 2020·Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America·Lin QiuLan Zhu
Apr 4, 2020·Journal of Medical Virology·Yifei ChenZhenshun Cheng
May 1, 2020·International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics : the Official Organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics·Jing LiaoJiafu Li
May 8, 2020·American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology·Pengfei CuiShixuan Wang
Jun 21, 2020·Biosafety and Health· National Health Commission Of The People's Republic Of China, UNKNOWN Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control, National Health Commission of People's Republic of Chinabiosafetyandhealth@ivdc.ch

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Citations

Jul 3, 2021·Journal of Clinical Medicine·Elad BarberShimon Ginath
Sep 15, 2021·International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics : the Official Organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics·Kavita KhoiwalJaya Chaturvedi

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