Israeli research: antibodies with COVID vaccine pass from pregnant mother to baby

Israeli research: antibodies with COVID vaccine pass from pregnant mother to baby

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A new study by researchers at Hadassah University Medical Center has shown that pregnant women who are vaccinated against coronavirus can pass on their immunity to their babies.

The study, which has so far only been published on MedRxiv and therefore not peer-reviewed, found the level of Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in 20 pregnant women who received two shots of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine during their third trimester, and their babies evaluated. . In all cases, these antibodies were detected at adequate levels, both in the blood of the mothers and in the blood of the mothers.

“Neonatal infection protection is primarily dependent on antibodies derived from placenta-borne mothers,” Dana Wolf, director of the Clinical Virology Unit in Hadassah, one of the study’s lead researchers, told The Jerusalem Post. “We have shown an efficient transfer of IgG antibodies to the placenta – the type of antibodies caused by infection or after vaccination.”

The researchers specifically measured the level of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 vein protein and its receptor binding domain, which would indicate whether the antibodies would protect against COVID-19. Wolf said the level and type of antibodies indicate an ability to adequately block the virus. ‘

The study was conducted in February, shortly after the first pregnant women in Israel were vaccinated. Wolf said the study is continuing and the team is now evaluating the level of antibodies in women who were vaccinated earlier in their pregnancies.

Wolf, who worked on the study with a handful of other experts – including the top midwives, Dr.

Placenta transfer of antibodies is not uncommon. For example, pregnant women are regularly vaccinated against whooping cough to protect their newborns from developing the disease.

Since the start of the third wave, dozens of pregnant women have ended up in intensive care units after contracting COVID-19. In most cases, they had to give birth to their babies early through C-sections. In the worst cases, some of the women died.

Wolf said that, “the vaccine protects women against serious diseases, and now we believe it can also help protect their babies during the early life period.”

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