Breast milk of mothers who received COVID-19 vaccine contains antibodies
that fight illness

Date:
August 24, 2021
Source:
University of Florida
Summary:
The breast milk of lactating mothers vaccinated against COVID-19
contains a significant supply of antibodies that may help protect
nursing infants from the illness, according to new research.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The breast milk of lactating mothers vaccinated against COVID-19 contains
a significant supply of antibodies that may help protect nursing infants
from the illness, according to new research from the University of
Florida.


==========================================================================
"Our findings show that vaccination results in a significant increase
in antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19 --
in breast milk, suggesting that vaccinated mothers can pass on this
immunity to their babies, something we are working to confirm in our
ongoing research," said Joseph Larkin III, Ph.D., senior author of the
study and an associate professor in the UF/IFAS department of microbiology
and cell science.

When babies are born, their immune systems are underdeveloped, making it
hard for them to fight infections on their own. They are also often too
young to respond adequately to certain types of vaccines, said Josef Neu,
M.D., one of the study's co-authors and a professor in the UF College
of Medicine's department of pediatrics, division of neonatology.

During this vulnerable period, breast milk allows nursing mothers to
provide infants with "passive immunity," Neu explained.

"Think of breast milk as a toolbox full of all the different tools that
help prepare the infant for life. Vaccination adds another tool to the
toolbox, one that has the potential to be especially good at preventing COVID-19 illness," Neu said. "The results of our study strongly suggest
that vaccines can help protect both mom and baby, another compelling
reason for pregnant or lactating women to get vaccinated." The study
was conducted between December 2020 and March 2021, when the Pfizer and
Moderna vaccines first became available to health care workers.



==========================================================================
For the study, researchers recruited 21 lactating health care workers who
had never contracted COVID-19. The research team sampled the mothers'
breast milk and blood three times: before vaccination, after the first
dose and after the second dose.

"We saw a robust antibody response in blood and breast milk after the
second dose -- about a hundred-fold increase compared with levels before vaccination," said Lauren Stafford, a doctoral student in Larkin's lab.

"These levels are also higher than those observed after natural infection
with the virus," said Vivian Valcarce, M.D., a resident in the UF College
of Medicine's department of pediatrics, division of neonatology. Valcarce
and Stafford share primary authorship of the study's findings.

Vaccinating mothers to protect babies is nothing new, Valcarce said.

"Typically, expectant mothers are vaccinated against whooping cough and
flu because these can be serious illnesses for infants. Babies can also
catch COVID-19, so routine vaccination of mothers against the virus
could be something we see in the future," Valcarce said.



==========================================================================
With that in mind, the research team is continuing to explore how breast
milk containing COVID-19 antibodies gained through vaccination protects
babies who consume it.

"We would like to know if infants who consume breast milk containing
these antibodies develop their own protection against COVID-19," Larkin
said. "In addition, we would also like to know more about the antibodies themselves, such as how long they are present in breast milk and how
effective they are at neutralizing the virus." Neu said his lab is also interested in exploring the potential therapeutic uses of breast milk
produced by vaccinated mothers.

Unanswered questions aside, the researchers remain excited and encouraged
by their initial results.

"There is still so much we are learning about breast milk and all
its benefits, and that's what makes this research so fascinating --
not just for us scientists but for non-scientists, too," said Stafford,
who is pursuing a degree in microbiology and cell science in the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

"We are also excited to see many other simultaneous studies conducted
around the world that also show antibodies in the breastmilk of vaccinated mothers," Neu said. "That means our study validates a growing body of evidence." The study is published in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine
and was funded by the Children's Miracle Network.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Florida. Original
written by Samantha Murray. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Vivian Valcarce, Lauren Stewart Stafford, Josef Neu, Nicole Cacho,
Leslie
Parker, Martina Mueller, David J. Burchfield, Nan Li, Joseph Larkin.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2-Specific IgA in the Human Milk of COVID-19
Vaccinated Lactating Health Care Workers. Breastfeeding Medicine,
2021; DOI: 10.1089/bfm.2021.0122 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210824104139.htm

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