Failure to Detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the Air During Active Labor in Mothers Who Recently Tested Positive
The risk of potential SARS-CoV-2 transmission by infected mothers during labor and delivery has not been investigated in-depth. This work collected air samples close to (respiratory droplets) and more distant from (aerosol generation) unvaccinated patients who had previously tested positive for SARS...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.881613/full |
| _version_ | 1828367409981947904 |
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| author | Corina N. Schoen Elizabeth Morgan Heidi K. Leftwich Christine Rogers Anand Soorneedi Cassandra Suther Matthew D. Moore |
| author_facet | Corina N. Schoen Elizabeth Morgan Heidi K. Leftwich Christine Rogers Anand Soorneedi Cassandra Suther Matthew D. Moore |
| author_sort | Corina N. Schoen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The risk of potential SARS-CoV-2 transmission by infected mothers during labor and delivery has not been investigated in-depth. This work collected air samples close to (respiratory droplets) and more distant from (aerosol generation) unvaccinated patients who had previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during labor within 5 days of a positive test. All but one of the patients wore masks during the delivery, and delivery was carried out in either birthing or negative pressure isolation rooms. Our work failed to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in any air samples for all of the six patients who gave birth vaginally, despite validation of the limit of detection of the samplers. In sum, this brief report provides initial evidence that the risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during labor may be mitigated by the use of masks and high ventilation rates common in many modern U.S. medical facilities; however more work is needed to fully evaluate the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission during labor and maternal pushing. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T05:58:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bc8c589fb6504d258c5066c7a5c4c0d1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T05:58:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-bc8c589fb6504d258c5066c7a5c4c0d12022-12-22T02:08:53ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652022-04-011010.3389/fpubh.2022.881613881613Failure to Detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the Air During Active Labor in Mothers Who Recently Tested PositiveCorina N. Schoen0Elizabeth Morgan1Heidi K. Leftwich2Christine Rogers3Anand Soorneedi4Cassandra Suther5Matthew D. Moore6Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate, Springfield, MA, United StatesDivision of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate, Springfield, MA, United StatesDivision of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School/UMASS Memorial Health, Worcester, MA, United StatesDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA, United StatesDepartment of Food Science, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA, United StatesDepartment of Food Science, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA, United StatesDepartment of Food Science, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA, United StatesThe risk of potential SARS-CoV-2 transmission by infected mothers during labor and delivery has not been investigated in-depth. This work collected air samples close to (respiratory droplets) and more distant from (aerosol generation) unvaccinated patients who had previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during labor within 5 days of a positive test. All but one of the patients wore masks during the delivery, and delivery was carried out in either birthing or negative pressure isolation rooms. Our work failed to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in any air samples for all of the six patients who gave birth vaginally, despite validation of the limit of detection of the samplers. In sum, this brief report provides initial evidence that the risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during labor may be mitigated by the use of masks and high ventilation rates common in many modern U.S. medical facilities; however more work is needed to fully evaluate the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission during labor and maternal pushing.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.881613/fullSARS-CoV-2COVIDvaginal deliverylabor and deliverytransmissioncoronavirus |
| spellingShingle | Corina N. Schoen Elizabeth Morgan Heidi K. Leftwich Christine Rogers Anand Soorneedi Cassandra Suther Matthew D. Moore Failure to Detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the Air During Active Labor in Mothers Who Recently Tested Positive Frontiers in Public Health SARS-CoV-2 COVID vaginal delivery labor and delivery transmission coronavirus |
| title | Failure to Detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the Air During Active Labor in Mothers Who Recently Tested Positive |
| title_full | Failure to Detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the Air During Active Labor in Mothers Who Recently Tested Positive |
| title_fullStr | Failure to Detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the Air During Active Labor in Mothers Who Recently Tested Positive |
| title_full_unstemmed | Failure to Detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the Air During Active Labor in Mothers Who Recently Tested Positive |
| title_short | Failure to Detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the Air During Active Labor in Mothers Who Recently Tested Positive |
| title_sort | failure to detect sars cov 2 rna in the air during active labor in mothers who recently tested positive |
| topic | SARS-CoV-2 COVID vaginal delivery labor and delivery transmission coronavirus |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.881613/full |
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