Author(s)

Karina Martins-Cardoso^1,2, Luana Ferreira Martins de Toledo³, Juliana Aparecida Souza Paz¹, Andressa Rangel de Oliveira Lima³, Thaís Chrispim de Souza Giangiarulo^1,3, Jéssica da Silva Oliveira¹, IPB COVID Workgroup¹, Carla Carolina Teixeira³, Jones Zitenfeld Cardia Neto⁴, Giovanna Geórgia Pires Carrilho Vallim³, Shana Priscila Coutinho Barroso¹

¹Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Pesquisas Biomédicas, Hospital Naval Marcílio Dias, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
²Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
³UTI neonatal, Clínica de Pediatria, Hospital Naval Marcílio Dias, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
⁴Serviço de Patologia, Hospital Naval Marcílio Dias, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

The disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread very rapidly throughout the world, causing various clinical manifestations and affecting several organs and systems. However, the possibility of vertical transmission of COVID-19 in symptomatic pregnant women has been questioned. The aim of this work was to report cases of possible vertical transmission in pregnant women affected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as its clinical repercussions on the newborn. In this paper, we conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study by analyzing medical records of pregnant women admitted at the military hospital, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, diagnosed with COVID-19 and who had positive newborns. To evaluate epidemiological data, clinical manifestations, laboratorial and histopathological changes were related to such vertical transmission. Only six tested newborns were positive for COVID-19. The mothers had no respiratory symptoms, and the gestational age was at term, except for one newborn born prematurely due to detection of pericadial effusion. Three neonates had respiratory symptoms, requiring ventilatory support. None of the mothers or newborns died. During the pandemic, possible vertical transmission cases of infected pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy were observed. According to the case reports published in the literature, they illustrate phenotypes of neonatal involvement with varied clinical manifestations and severity; however, further scientific studies are needed to prove the effective vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in positive pregnant women.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Neonatal Outcomes, Vertical Transmission

Martins-Cardoso, K. , de Toledo, L. , Paz, J. , Lima, A. , Giangiarulo, T. , Oliveira, J. , Workgroup, I. , Teixeira, C. , Neto, J. , Vallim, G. and Barroso, S. (2021) Clinical Outcomes of Positive Newborns for COVID-19 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 11, 1851-1861. doi: 10.4236/ojog.2021.1112172.