ArticlePediatric research2022
No infectious SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk from a cohort of 110 lactating women.
Article in Pediatric research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 56 citations in OpenAlex.
- Defining lactation outcomes, milk composition, and breastfeeding safety for women with chronic kidney disease: protocol for a prospective observational study.International breastfeeding journal · 2026Article
- Investigation of Teratogenic Concerns in the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 Era.Birth defects research · 2026Article
- Neonatal Feeding Practices and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in Neonates with Perinatal SARS-CoV-2 Exposure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Review of current best practices for human milk banking.Maternal & child nutrition · 2024Review
- The global status of human milk banking.Maternal & child nutrition · 2024Review
- Anti-SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in human breast milk following SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy: a prospective cohort study.International breastfeeding journal · 2024Article
- Neonatal outcomes of maternal prenatal coronavirus infection.Pediatric research · 2024Review
- COVID-19 among infants: key clinical features and remaining controversies.Clinical and experimental pediatrics · 2024Article
- Prevalence and duration of SARS-CoV-2 fecal shedding in breastfeeding dyads following maternal COVID-19 diagnosis.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- Viruses and Human Milk: Transmission or Protection?Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2023Review
- Perinatal Outcomes at Birth in Women Infected and Non-Infected with SARS-CoV-2: A Retrospective Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Breastmilk from COVID-19 negative lactating mothers shows neutralizing activity against SARS-COV-2.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Vertical transmission and maternal passive immunity post-SARS-CoV-2.Future virology · 2023Review
- Marketing of commercial milk formula during COVID-19 in Indonesia.Maternal & child nutrition · 2023Article
- Review
- Auditory Screening in Newborns after Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection: An Overview.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Article
- General approach to delivery and resuscitation of newborn infants from mothers at risk or proven COVID-19.Seminars in fetal & neonatal medicine · 2023Review
- Clinical features of neonatal COVID-19.Seminars in fetal & neonatal medicine · 2023Review
- COVID-19 Disease in Under-5 Children: Current Status and Strategies for Prevention including Vaccination.Vaccines · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
- Update of
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundGenomic RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been detected in the breast milk of lactating women, but its pathological significance has remained uncertain due to the small size of prior studies.
methodsBreast milk from 110 lactating women was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (285 samples) and viral culture (160 samples). Those containing SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA (vRNA) were examined for the presence of subgenomic RNA (sgRNA), a putative marker of infectivity.
resultsSixty-five women had a positive SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test, 9 had symptoms but negative diagnostic tests, and 36 symptomatic women were not tested. SARS-CoV-2 vRNA was detected in the milk of 7 (6%) women with either a confirmed infection or symptomatic illness, including 6 of 65 (9%) women with a positive SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test. Infectious virus was not detected in any culture and none had detectable sgRNA. In control experiments, infectious SARS-CoV-2 could be cultured after addition to breastmilk despite several freeze-thaw cycles, as it occurs in the storage and usage of human milk.
conclusionsSARS-CoV-2 RNA can be found infrequently in the breastmilk after recent infection, but we found no evidence that breastmilk contains an infectious virus or that breastfeeding represents a risk factor for transmission of infection to infants. IMPACT: This article goes beyond prior small studies to provide evidence that infectious SARS-CoV-2 is not present in the milk of lactating women with recent infection, even when SARS-CoV-2 RNA is detected. Recent SARS-CoV-2 infection or detection of its RNA in human milk is not a contraindication to breastfeeding.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.