Swedish scientists first found a mutated form of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in a newborn baby whose mother was sick with COVID-19. This is reported by The Conversation.
A pregnant woman with severe abdominal pain was admitted to a hospital in Malmö. Doctors noticed that her child had an abnormally low heart rate, which could be a sign of a lack of oxygen. A caesarean section was performed, and tests confirmed that the mother and child were infected with the coronavirus. The genomes of SARS-CoV-2 were sequenced, after which it became clear that the child was infected before birth.
Despite the fact that the first tests demonstrated the identity of the viruses in the mother and the child, experts soon identified changes in the virus population in the newborn. A new strain emerged that was genetically different from the original. According to scientists, this is the first time it has been possible to record a case of a mutation of a coronavirus during its transmission from a mother to an unborn fetus.
The A107G mutation occurred just five days after the baby was born. Scientists have also found extensive damage to the placenta due to inflammation. The mother quickly recovered from COVID-19, but the newborn required neonatal care. due to premature birth. The child developed antibodies to the virus and did not suffer from severe symptoms.
Transmission of coronavirus from pregnant woman to fetus is very rare because the placenta serves as a barrier to infection and has relatively low levels of the ACE2 protein, which the virus uses to enter cells. In exceptional cases, the virus damages the placenta, which leads to a lack of oxygen.
