Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

The Korean Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology (한국미생물·생명공학회)
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Placental Histopathology in COVID-19-Positive Mothers

  • Sherwani, Nikita (Virology Lab, Department of Microbiology, Pt. JNM Medical College) ;
  • Singh, Neha (Virology Lab, Department of Microbiology, Pt. JNM Medical College) ;
  • Neral, Arvind (Department of Pathology, Pt. JNM Medical College) ;
  • Jaiswal, Jyoti (Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pt. JNM Medical College) ;
  • Nagaria, Tripti (Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pt. JNM Medical College) ;
  • Khandwal, Onkar (Department of Paediatrics, Pt. JNM Medical College)
  • Received : 2022.06.27
  • Accepted : 2022.08.07
  • Published : 2022.09.28
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Abstract

The placenta is a captivating multifunctional organ of fetal origin and plays an essential role during pregnancy by intimately connecting mother and baby. This study explicates placental pathology and information about 25 placentas collected from the mothers infected with novel coronavirus (SARS-COV-2). So far, congenital transmission of SARS-CoV-2 seems to be remarkably uncommon in spite of many cases of COVID-19 during pregnancy. Out of the 25 placental tissue samples collected, none has shown gene expression of SARS-CoV-2 when confirmed by RT-PCR. At the same time, nasal and throat swab samples collected from newborns of SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers correspondingly tested negative by RT-PCR. The shielding properties of placental barriers against viral infections from mothers to newborns remains a mystery. Major histopathological findings have been recorded as choriodecidual tissue with necrosis, intramural fibrin deposition, chorionic villi with fibrosis, and calcification. Moreover, although recent findings are insufficient to prove direct placental transmission of COVID-19, the abundance of angiotensin-converting enzymes-2 (ACE-2) on the placental surface could potentially contribute to unpleasant outcomes during pregnancy as SARS-CoV-2 gains access to human cells via ACE-2. Finally, the significance of these findings is vague and needs further study.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC), Pt. JNM Medical College, Raipur, India (Approval Number: No./MC/Ethics/2020/10). The author(s) received financial support from NUMH (National Urban Health Mission), Raipur, India for the research, and/or publication of this article.

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