Researchers have identified the genetic makeup of the virus in the breast milk of a woman infected with Sars-CoV-2. However, it is unclear whether her child, who was also ill, actually contracted it.
Ulm (dpa) - Virologists from Ulm have detected the new coronavirus for the first time in the breast milk of a woman suffering from Covid-19. The scientist led by Jan Münch and Rüdiger Groß from the University of Ulm also announced that their baby had contracted the virus.
However, it is not yet clear whether the child has really been infected through breast milk. The researchers published their results in the journal "The Lancet".
The virologists had examined the breast milk of two women for the genetic material (RNA) of the new coronavirus, who shared a room with their newborns after delivery in the hospital. When one of the women developed disease symptoms, she was isolated with her newborn and both tested positive for Sars-CoV-2. The neighbor noticed symptoms later, but was then - like her child - also tested positive.
The scientists found no evidence of the new coronavirus in the breast milk samples of the woman who was ill first. The result in the samples from the second mother, however, was positive four times. Why this is not yet clear, said Münch. After 14 days, no virus was detectable in breast milk and the mother and her child recovered from Covid-19.
The mother, who later fell ill, had worn mouth and nose protection and had disinfected her hands and breasts when handling her child. In addition, she regularly sterilized the breastfeeding utensils. It remains unclear whether the baby was actually infected during breastfeeding, the researchers emphasize.
"Our study shows that Sars-CoV-2 can be detectable in breastfeeding women with acute infection in breast milk. But we still don't know how often this is the case, whether the viruses in milk are also infectious and through breastfeeding can be transferred to the infant. " The virus is typically passed on from person to person via droplet infection.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has so far had no evidence of the new coronavirus in breast milk. "There is no reason to avoid or stop breastfeeding," says the recommendations on the organization's homepage.
WHO recommendations on breastfeeding in corona times
