sars-cov-2 viral load in pregnant women and association with maternal disease severity and neonatal outcomes

Background: the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (sars-cov-2) created unexpected impacts worldwide.objectives: this study aimed to examine the association of sars-cov-2 viral load in pregnant women with maternal disease severity and neonatal outcomes.methods:in this retrospective cohort study, 55 pregnant women infected with sars-cov-2 and their newborn infants were included. the association between maternal viral load (tested by cycle threshold) and maternal disease severity/neonatal outcomes was examined.results:infants had a median gestational age of 38 (29 - 41) weeks and birth weight of 3200 (630 - 4570) grams. the median ct value of pregnant women was 30 (20 - 37). no significant difference was detected among mild, moderate or severely ill pregnant women in terms of median ct values (30, 28.5, and 30, respectively; p > 0.05). the median ct value of pregnant women who gave preterm delivery was similar to those who had term delivery [30 (21 - 36) vs. 30 (25 - 35); p > 0.05]. the median ct values were similar among pregnant women who died or survived [32.5 (30 - 34) vs. 30 (21 - 36); p > 0.05]. preterm delivery rates and overall mortality were not associated with sars-cov-2 rt-qpcr ct values, (r = 0.04, p > 0.05). no correlation was found between maternal sars-cov-2 viral load and maternal disease severity/neonatal outcomes.conclusions: to the best of our knowledge, this study was the first one examining the association between maternal sars-cov-2 viral load and maternal/neonatal outcomes. it was suggested that viral load may not have been used for predicting the severity of maternal disease and maternal/neonatal outcomes.