A baby girl in Texas born prematurely to a mother with COVID-19 is the strongest evidence to date that intrauterine (in the womb) transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).The findings suggest in utero transmission of COVID-19 from an infected mother to her infant. Numerous infants have now been delivered to pregnant women diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2, with the majority of these infants without respiratory illness or positive molecular evidence for SARS-CoV-2. The first to document intrauterine transmission of the infection during pregnancy, based on immunohistochemical and ultrastructural evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the fetal cells of the placenta.The infant appeared initially healthy, with normal breathing and other vital signs. On the second day of life, she developed fever and relatively mild breathing problems. It is unlikely that the respiratory distress observed in this infant was due to prematurity since it did not start until the second day of life.

The baby tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection at 24 and 48 hours after birth. She was treated with supplemental oxygen for several days but did not need mechanical ventilation. COVID-19 tests remained positive for up to 14 days. At 21 days, the mother and infant were sent home in good condition. Although data on COVID-19 remain very limited, Intrauterine transmission of SARS-CoV-2 appears to be a rare event. They highlight several urgent priorities for further research, including the mechanisms and risk factors of in utero SARS-CoV-2 transmission and the outcomes of congenital COVID-19 in infants.

Regards
ALEX JOHN
Editorial Assistant
Journal of infectious disease and dignosis