PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Faith Zhu
AU  - Carlos Zozaya
AU  - Qi Zhou
AU  - Charmaine De Castro
AU  - Prakesh S Shah
TI  - SARS-CoV-2 genome and antibodies in breastmilk: a systematic review and meta-analysis
AID  - 10.1136/archdischild-2020-321074
DP  - 2021 Sep 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition
PG  - 514--521
VI  - 106
IP  - 5
4099  - http://fn.bmj.com/content/106/5/514.short
4100  - http://fn.bmj.com/content/106/5/514.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed2021 Sep 01; 106
AB  - Objective To systematically review and meta-analyse the rate of SARS-CoV-2 genome identification and the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in breastmilk of mothers with COVID-19.Design A systematic review of studies published between January 2019 and October 2020 without study design or language restrictions.Setting Data sourced from Ovid Embase Classic+Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, relevant bibliographies and the John Hopkins University COVID-19 database.Patients Mothers with confirmed COVID-19 and breastmilk tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR or for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.Main outcome measures Presence of SARS-CoV-2 genome and antibodies in breastmilk.Results We included 50 articles. Twelve out of 183 women from 48 studies were positive for SARS-CoV-2 genome in their breastmilk (pooled proportion 5% (95% CI 2% to 15%; I2=48%)). Six infants (50%) of these 12 mothers tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, with one requiring respiratory support. Sixty-one out of 89 women from 10 studies had anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody in their breastmilk (pooled proportion 83% (95% CI 32% to 98%; I2=88%)). The predominant antibody detected was IgA.Conclusions SARS-CoV-2 genome presence in breastmilk is uncommon and is associated with mild symptoms in infants. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies may be a more common finding. Considering the low proportion of SARS-CoV-2 genome detected in breastmilk and its lower virulence, mothers with COVID-19 should be supported to breastfeed.All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information. As this study was a systematic review and meta-analysis, all included data were publicly available from published research articles. A complete reference list of included studies is provided in the supplemental references in the supplemental material.