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Usage Information

SARS–CoV-2 infection of the placenta
Hillary Hosier, … , Uma M. Reddy, Heather S. Lipkind
Hillary Hosier, … , Uma M. Reddy, Heather S. Lipkind
Published June 23, 2020
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2020;130(9):4947-4953. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI139569.
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Clinical Research and Public Health Reproductive biology

SARS–CoV-2 infection of the placenta

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Abstract

BACKGROUND The effects of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in pregnancy remain relatively unknown. We present a case of second trimester pregnancy with symptomatic COVID-19 complicated by severe preeclampsia and placental abruption.METHODS We analyzed the placenta for the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS–CoV-2) through molecular and immunohistochemical assays and by and electron microscopy and measured the maternal antibody response in the blood to this infection.RESULTS SARS–CoV-2 localized predominantly to syncytiotrophoblast cells at the materno-fetal interface of the placenta. Histological examination of the placenta revealed a dense macrophage infiltrate, but no evidence for the vasculopathy typically associated with preeclampsia.CONCLUSION This case demonstrates SARS–CoV-2 invasion of the placenta, highlighting the potential for severe morbidity among pregnant women with COVID-19.FUNDING Beatrice Kleinberg Neuwirth Fund and Fast Grant Emergent Ventures funding from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. The funding bodies did not have roles in the design of the study or data collection, analysis, and interpretation and played no role in writing the manuscript.

Authors

Hillary Hosier, Shelli F. Farhadian, Raffaella A. Morotti, Uma Deshmukh, Alice Lu-Culligan, Katherine H. Campbell, Yuki Yasumoto, Chantal B.F. Vogels, Arnau Casanovas-Massana, Pavithra Vijayakumar, Bertie Geng, Camila D. Odio, John Fournier, Anderson F. Brito, Joseph R. Fauver, Feimei Liu, Tara Alpert, Reshef Tal, Klara Szigeti-Buck, Sudhir Perincheri, Christopher Larsen, Aileen M. Gariepy, Gabriela Aguilar, Kristen L. Fardelmann, Malini Harigopal, Hugh S. Taylor, Christian M. Pettker, Anne L. Wyllie, Charles Dela Cruz, Aaron M. Ring, Nathan D. Grubaugh, Albert I. Ko, Tamas L. Horvath, Akiko Iwasaki, Uma M. Reddy, Heather S. Lipkind

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Usage data is cumulative from July 2024 through July 2025.

Usage JCI PMC
Text version 1,638 143
PDF 222 46
Figure 281 3
Supplemental data 102 1
Citation downloads 122 0
Totals 2,365 193
Total Views 2,558
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