key: cord-0052920-m170q0vr
authors: Zanardini, C.; Saccani, B.; Franceschetti, l.; Zatti, S.; Sartori, E.; Prefumo, F.
title: Retest positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA of recovered pregnant women with COVID‐19
date: 2020-10-09
journal: Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol
DOI: 10.1002/uog.23144
sha: 5af6b1651f9123fa812b092ae3f41cb19289b617
doc_id: 52920
cord_uid: m170q0vr

nan

In Italy, following earlier World Health Organization recommendations 1 , every SARS-CoV-2 RNA patient is re-tested twice after 14 days of strict quarantine to diagnose recovery. Every patient who needs elective or emergency admission to hospital is also tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA.

A 33-year-old pregnant woman was admitted with fever, asthenia and cough in March 2020 at 24 weeks of gestation. RT-PCR from a nasopharyngeal swab was positive for SARS-CoV-2. Chest X-ray and lung ultrasound revealed bilateral and multifocal interstitial pneumonia. Blood tests revealed lymphopenia and anemia. After 5 days she was discharged home, with 14 days of strict quarantine, at the end of which she was re-tested twice with two consecutive negative results. In July she was admitted for spontaneous labour at 41 +0 weeks: she was re-tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and she was positive again, but asymptomatic and with normal chest X-ray and blood tests. She gave birth to a healthy male baby weighing 3470 g.

Another 27-year-old pregnant woman, asymptomatic for COVID-19, was tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in April 2020 at 32 +0 weeks of gestation, as a close contact of a COVID-19 case. After 14 days of quarantine, she was re-tested twice with two consecutive negative results. The pregnancy was subsequently uncomplicated. At the beginning of June, two days before admission for planned induction of labour at 41 +4 weeks, she was tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and found positive again, although still asymptomatic for COVID-19. She had a normal chest X-ray and blood tests, and gave birth to a healthy male baby weighing 3185 g.

Here, we describe two cases of asymptomatic pregnant women recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection who retested positive. A recent systematic review suggested that 12% of non-pregnant patients recovered from COVID-19 may become positive again at molecular testing after two negative consecutive nasopharyngeal swabs 2 . From the 6 th March 2020 to 23 rd September, we had at our hospital 15 women positive for This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

SARS-CoV-2 who became negative during pregnancy and were retested at delivery: our retest positive rate was therefore 2/15 (13%). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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