Factors modulating maternofetal transfer of IgG antibodies following SARS-CoV-2 gestational infection

Abstract

Early infant immunity to SARS-CoV-2 depends on maternofetal transfer of antibodies. We aimed to analyze the factors modulating the maternofetal transfer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies following gestational infection during the pandemic in Brazil (April–August 2021). We conducted a retrospective and prospective cohort study involving 509 mother-child dyads tested simultaneously for IgG anti-nucleocapsid antibodies during universal neonatal screening. There were 341 seronegative dyads and 168 seropositive ones. Seropositive neonates were retested two to three months later. We examined the association of neonatal serological status and IgG concentrations with gestational mRNA vaccination, timing of maternal infection, neonatal conditions, and gender. Gestational SARS-CoV-2 infection predicted neonatal IgG seropositivity (OR=3.97; 95%CI=2.69–5.88). Maternal infection in the first, second, or third trimester was associated with progressively greater seropositivity in neonates (34.4%, 51.6%, and 58.2%, respectively; p=0.03). Among seropositive neonates, IgG concentration was higher when mothers reported they had COVID-19 during pregnancy (p=0.04) and tended to be lower in girls (p=0.06). More than half of the seropositive neonates remained seropositive two to three months later (54.1%), which was associated with both maternal and neonatal IgG concentration at birth (p<0.001). Higher neonatal IgG concentrations at birth were associated with the persistence of anti-N IgG antibodies for two to three months in more than half of the seropositive newborns. This study provides an additional understanding of the dynamics of maternofetal antibody transfer.