TY - JOUR
T1 - Decreased Passive Immunity to Respiratory Viruses through Human Milk during the COVID-19 Pandemic
AU - Grobben, Marloes
AU - Juncker, Hannah G.
AU - van der Straten, Karlijn
AU - Lavell, A. H. Ayesha
AU - Schinkel, Michiel
AU - Buis, David T. P.
AU - Wilbrink, Maarten F.
AU - Tejjani, Khadija
AU - Claireaux, Mathieu A. F.
AU - Aartse, Aafke
AU - de Groot, Christianne J. M.
AU - Pajkrt, Dasja
AU - Bomers, Marije K.
AU - Sikkens, Jonne J.
AU - van Gils, Marit J.
AU - van Goudoever, Johannes B.
AU - van Keulen, Britt J.
N1 - Funding Information: We thank Tim Beaumont for manuscript editing and all participating mothers and health care workers for their contribution to this study. This work was supported by Stichting Steun Emma Kinderziekenhuis. M.J.vG. acknowledges the Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute for funding this work through the COVID-19 grant [24175]. Funding for the S3 study was provided by ZonMw; and the Amsterdam UMC Corona Research Fund.J.B.vG. is the founder and director of the Dutch National Human Milk Bank and a member of the National Health Council. J.B.vG. has been a member of the National Breastfeeding Council from March 2010 to March 2020. Funding Information: This work was supported by Stichting Steun Emma Kinderziekenhuis. M.J.vG. acknowledges the Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute for funding this work through the COVID-19 grant [24175]. Funding for the S3 study was provided by ZonMw; and the Amsterdam UMC Corona Research Fund. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Grobben et al.
PY - 2022/8/31
Y1 - 2022/8/31
N2 - Infants may develop severe viral respiratory tract infections because their immune system is still developing in the first months after birth. Human milk provides passive humoral immunity during the first months of life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, circulation of common respiratory viruses was virtually absent due to the preventative measures resulting in reduced maternal exposure. Therefore, we hypothesized that this might result in lower antibody levels in human milk during the pandemic and, subsequently, decreased protection of infants against viral respiratory tract infections. We assessed antibody levels against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Influenza virus, and several seasonal coronaviruses in different periods of the COVID-19 pandemic in serum and human milk using a Luminex assay. IgG levels against RSV, Influenza, HCoV-OC43, HCoVHKU1, and HCoV-NL63 in human milk were reduced with a factor of 1.7 (P, 0.001), 2.2 (P, 0.01), 2.6 (P, 0.05), 1.4 (P, 0.01), and 2.1 (P, 0.001), respectively, since the introduction of the COVID-19 restrictions. Furthermore, we observed that human milk of mothers that experienced COVID-19 contained increased levels of IgG and IgA binding to other respiratory viruses. Passive immunity via human milk against common respiratory viruses was reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have consequences for the protection of breastfed infants against respiratory infections.
AB - Infants may develop severe viral respiratory tract infections because their immune system is still developing in the first months after birth. Human milk provides passive humoral immunity during the first months of life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, circulation of common respiratory viruses was virtually absent due to the preventative measures resulting in reduced maternal exposure. Therefore, we hypothesized that this might result in lower antibody levels in human milk during the pandemic and, subsequently, decreased protection of infants against viral respiratory tract infections. We assessed antibody levels against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Influenza virus, and several seasonal coronaviruses in different periods of the COVID-19 pandemic in serum and human milk using a Luminex assay. IgG levels against RSV, Influenza, HCoV-OC43, HCoVHKU1, and HCoV-NL63 in human milk were reduced with a factor of 1.7 (P, 0.001), 2.2 (P, 0.01), 2.6 (P, 0.05), 1.4 (P, 0.01), and 2.1 (P, 0.001), respectively, since the introduction of the COVID-19 restrictions. Furthermore, we observed that human milk of mothers that experienced COVID-19 contained increased levels of IgG and IgA binding to other respiratory viruses. Passive immunity via human milk against common respiratory viruses was reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have consequences for the protection of breastfed infants against respiratory infections.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Influenza
KW - RSV
KW - antibodies
KW - breast milk
KW - coronaviruses
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85137137617&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00405-22
DO - https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00405-22
M3 - Article
C2 - 35762813
SN - 2165-0497
VL - 10
SP - e0040522
JO - Microbiology spectrum
JF - Microbiology spectrum
IS - 4
ER -