Presence of SARS-CoV-2 in fetal organs via intraamniotic infection

The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the need to focus on women's health, particularly during pregnancy. Recent studies have shown that maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy may increase obstetrical risks. However, intraamniotic SARS-CoV-2 infection has been understudied. Here, we conduct inclusive autopsies on 18 fetuses following maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection to determine whether and which fetal organs can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 in utero. We analyze a total of 538 samples from 32 tissue types to comprehensively map and quantify the distribution and replication patterns of SARS-CoV-2 across fetal organs. Our observations reveal that SARS-CoV-2 can be widely distributed in fetal organs through vertical transmission. As the length of time from SARS-CoV-2 infection to termination of pregnancy increases, the prevalence of infection in fetal organs decrease. Further, proteomic profiling reveals DNA damage and immune imbalance in infected organs.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2025-11-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65131-1
Citations
1
Primary Topic
COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.06

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article

Presence of SARS-CoV-2 in fetal organs via intraamniotic infection

Liping Jin, Zhiyun Wei, Feiye Zhu, Yicheng Zhou et al.
1 citations
Nature Communications
COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction
2.06
article

Presence of SARS-CoV-2 in fetal organs via intraamniotic infection

Liping Jin, Zhiyun Wei, Feiye Zhu, Yicheng Zhou, Ke Lin, Shanshan Shan, Linchen Tang, Ziyi Zhang, Yao Xu, Xiaoying He, Meijuan Wu, Zeying Liu, Cancan Wang, Qingxin Xu, Shengnan Wu, Shidong Tan
article en
1 citations

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the need to focus on women's health, particularly during pregnancy. Recent studies have shown that maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy may increase obstetrical risks. However, intraamniotic SARS-CoV-2 infection has been understudied. Here, we conduct inclusive autopsies on 18 fetuses following maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection to determine whether and which fetal organs can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 in utero. We analyze a total of 538 samples from 32 tissue types to comprehensively map and quantify the distribution and replication patterns of SARS-CoV-2 across fetal organs. Our observations reveal that SARS-CoV-2 can be widely distributed in fetal organs through vertical transmission. As the length of time from SARS-CoV-2 infection to termination of pregnancy increases, the prevalence of infection in fetal organs decrease. Further, proteomic profiling reveals DNA damage and immune imbalance in infected organs.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 16(1)
Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (CN), Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University (CN), Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital (CN)
Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shanghai Pudong New Area Health Commission, National Key Research and Development Program of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction
2.06
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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