Molecular evidence suggesting the persistence of residual SARS-CoV-2 and immune responses in the placentas of pregnant patients recovered from COVID-19.
Hao WuShujie LiaoYiming WangMing GuoXingguang LinJianli WuRenjie WangDan LvDi WuMengzhou HeBai HuRui LongJing PengHui YangHeng YinXin WangZhixiang HuangKe LanYanbin ZhouWei ZhangZhenyu XiaoYun ZhaoDongrui DengHongmei WangPublished in: Cell proliferation (2021)
Our study showed that SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid (in one patient) and protein (in five patients) were present in the placentas of clinically recovered pregnant patients for more than 3 months after diagnosis. The immune responses induced by the virus may lead to prolonged and persistent symptoms in the maternal plasma, placenta, umbilical cord, cord blood and amniotic fluid.