COVID-19 Infection in Pregnancy: A Review

Author(s):  
Sabrina Jahan Mily ◽  
Kazi Mahmuda Akter ◽  
Nowshin Jabin ◽  
Saikat Mitra ◽  
Talha Bin Emran ◽  
...  

Abstract: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is a highly contagious viral illness caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has had a catastrophic effect on the world's demographics, resulting in more than 3.8 million deaths worldwide, and establishing itself as the most serious global health crisis since the 1918 influenza pandemic. Several questions remain unanswered regarding the effects of COVID-19 disease during pregnancy. Although most infections are mild in high-risk populations, severe disease frequently leads to intubation, intensive care unit admission, and, in some cases, death. Hormonal and physiological changes in the immune and respiratory systems, cardiovascular function, and coagulation may affect the progression of COVID-19 disease in pregnancy. However, consequences of coronavirus infection on implantation, fetal growth and development, labor, and newborn health have yet to be determined, and, consequently, a coordinated global effort is needed in this respect . Principles of management concerning COVID-19 in pregnancy include early isolation, aggressive infection control procedures, oxygen therapy, avoidance of fluid overload, consideration of empiric antibiotics (secondary to bacterial infection risk), laboratory testing for the virus and co-infection, fetal and uterine contraction monitoring, prevention and / or treatment of thromboembolism early mechanical ventilation for progressive respiratory failure, individualized delivery planning, and a team-based approach with multispecialty consultations. This review focuses on COVID-19 during pregnancy, its management, and the area where further investigations are needed to reduce the risk to mothers and their newborns.

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (08) ◽  
pp. 845-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Munmun Rawat ◽  
Praveen Chandrasekharan ◽  
Mark D. Hicar ◽  
Satyan Lakshminrusimha

One hundred years after the 1918 influenza pandemic, we now face another pandemic with the severe acute respiratory syndrome–novel coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). There is considerable variability in the incidence of infection and severe disease following exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Data from China and the United States suggest a low prevalence of neonates, infants, and children, with those affected not suffering from severe disease. In this article, we speculate different theories why this novel agent is sparing neonates, infants, and young children. The low severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in this population is associated with a high incidence of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic infection making them efficient carriers. Key Points


Author(s):  
Markordor Lyngdoh

The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin. On the other hand, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus hailed by the world health organization as a “once in a century health crisis” which has led to devastating impacts to health and livelihood the world over. The prevailing situation is reminiscent of the Spanish flu where definitive cure is unavailable and the public health measures like quarantine, social distancing, hand hygiene and isolation are the only alternatives. Both these diseases are transmitted through respiratory droplets, highly contagious and target the respiratory organs. The parallels between these two events cannot be denied. The Spanish flu thrived at a time when the knowledge and availability of antivirals and vaccine development were inadequate. This article strives to highlight a little more on these two separate pandemics and observe their similarities as well as their differences.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Esmail ◽  
Michael J. Knauer ◽  
Husam Abdoh ◽  
Benjamin Chin-Yee ◽  
Peter Stogios ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has grown into worst public health crisis since the 1918 influenza pandemic. As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, there is urgent need for a rapid, yet accurate antibody test to identify infected individuals in populations to inform health decisions. We have developed a rapid, accurate and cost-effective serologic test based on antibody-dependent agglutination of antigen-coated latex particles, which uses ∼5 µl plasma and takes <5 min to complete with no instrument required. The simplicity of this test makes it ideal for point-of-care (POC) use at the community level. When validated using plasma samples that are positive or negative for SARS-CoV-2, the agglutination assay detected antibodies against the receptor-binding domain of the spike (S-RBD) or the nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 with 100% specificity and ∼98% sensitivity. Furthermore, we found that the strength of the S-RBD antibody response measured by the agglutination assay correlated with the efficiency of the plasma in blocking RBD binding to the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in a surrogate neutralization assay, suggesting that the agglutination assay may be used to identify individuals with virus-neutralizing antibodies. Intriguingly, we found that >92% of patients had detectable antibodies on the day of positive viral RNA test, suggesting that seroconversion may occur earlier than previously thought and that the agglutination antibody test may complement RNA testing for POC diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Friederike Feldmann ◽  
Darwyn Kobasa ◽  
Carissa Embury-Hyatt ◽  
Allen Grolla ◽  
Tracy Taylor ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The 1918 influenza virus, subtype H1N1, was the causative agent of the most devastating pandemic in the history of infectious diseases. In vitro studies have confirmed that extreme virulence is an inherent property of this virus. Here, we utilized the macaque model for evaluating the efficacy of oseltamivir phosphate against the fully reconstructed 1918 influenza virus in a highly susceptible and relevant disease model. Our findings demonstrate that oseltamivir phosphate is effective in preventing severe disease in macaques but vulnerable to virus escape through emergence of resistant mutants, especially if given in a treatment regimen. Nevertheless, we conclude that oseltamivir would be highly beneficial to reduce the morbidity and mortality rates caused by a highly pathogenic influenza virus although it would be predicted that resistance would likely emerge with sustained use of the drug. IMPORTANCE Oseltamivir phosphate is used as a first line of defense in the event of an influenza pandemic prior to vaccine administration. Treatment failure through selection and replication of drug-resistant viruses is a known complication in the field and was also demonstrated in our study with spread of resistant 1918 influenza virus in multiple respiratory tissues. This emphasizes the importance of early treatment and the possibility that noncompliance may exacerbate treatment effectiveness. It also demonstrates the importance of implementing combination therapy and vaccination strategies as soon as possible in a pandemic situation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 892-899
Author(s):  
Ashlesha K. Dayal ◽  
Armin S. Razavi ◽  
Amir K. Jaffer ◽  
Nishant Prasad ◽  
Daniel W. Skupski

AbstractThe global spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the early months of 2020 was rapid and exposed vulnerabilities in health systems throughout the world. Obstetric SARS-CoV-2 disease was discovered to be largely asymptomatic carriage but included a small rate of severe disease with rapid decompensation in otherwise healthy women. Higher rates of hospitalization, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission and intubation, along with higher infection rates in minority and disadvantaged populations have been documented across regions. The operational gymnastics that occurred daily during the Covid-19 emergency needed to be translated to the obstetrics realm, both inpatient and ambulatory. Resources for adaptation to the public health crisis included workforce flexibility, frequent communication of operational and protocol changes for evaluation and management, and application of innovative ideas to meet the demand.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A Talbot ◽  
E Jeffrey Metter ◽  
Heather King

ABSTRACT During World War I, the 1918 influenza pandemic struck the fatigued combat troops serving on the Western Front. Medical treatment options were limited; thus, skilled military nursing care was the primary therapy and the best indicator of patient outcomes. This article examines the military nursing’s role in the care of the soldiers during the 1918 flu pandemic and compares this to the 2019 coronavirus pandemic.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Duff

Syphilis is caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. It is classified as primary, secondary, tertiary, and latent infection. If left untreated, syphilis can cause devastating injury to the fetus. The drug of choice for treatment of syphilis in pregnancy is penicillin. Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted by the Ixodes scapularis tick. The principal clinical manifestation of Lyme disease is erythema migrans, but patients may also develop arthritis and cardiac and neurologic abnormalities. Congenital Lyme disease has not been reported. The drug of choice for treatment of Lyme disease in pregnancy is amoxicillin. Leptospirosis is usually acquired from direct contact with urine of infected animals or through contaminated water, soil, or vegetation. Pregnant women with mild disease should be treated with oral amoxicillin. Patients with severe disease should be hospitalized and treated with intravenous penicillin or ampicillin. This review contains 5 figures, 5 tables, and 19 references. Key Words: clinical infection, congenital syphilis, latent infection, leptospirosis, Lyme disease, syphilis


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