Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

June 1, 2020

Detectable Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Human Breast Milk of a Mildly Symptomatic Patient with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

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  • Tam et al. reported a first case of detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA from human milk in a forty-year old woman with COVID-19. Despite mild clinical symptoms, this patient had detectable viral RNA in two separate samples of human milk taken ten days apart, which were interspersed with a several negative results. The significance of this finding is uncertain as detectable RNA in these samples has not been shown to indicate viable virus nor to demonstrate a risk of infection via breastfeeding.  

Tam et al. (June 1, 2020). Detectable Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Human Breast Milk of a Mildly Symptomatic Patient with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Clinical Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa673