UQ researchers uncover Covid’s alarming threat to unborn babies

In an urgent warning to expectant mothers, groundbreaking research from the University of Queensland has uncovered a chilling threat posed by Covid to unborn babies.

Catching Covid can trigger dangerous complications in unborn babies, a new study from the University of Queensland has found.

Led by Dr. Arutha Kulasinghe of UQ’s Frazer Institute, the study has revealed that contracting Covid during pregnancy could lead to severe complications, with DNA changes in the placenta mirroring those seen in life-threatening conditions such as pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, and stillbirth.

A pregnant woman standing next to a Covid RAT test. Photo: Adobe.

This research, a first of its kind, compared placental tissue from unvaccinated women who’d tested positive to SARS-CoV-2 within 15 days of giving birth, with the placentas of women who’d not been vaccinated or infected with the virus, uncovering startling disruptions in the placenta’s critical role

“Using digital spatial profiling, we discovered the virus disrupts placental function by altering the genomic architecture of the cells critical to providing nutrients and blood supply to unborn babies,” Dr Kulasinghe said.

“We also found the DNA fingerprints of poor placental oxygenation, stress and pre-eclampsia in the Covid-19 patients.”

The research compared placental tissue from unvaccinated women who’d tested positive to SARS-CoV-2 within 15 days of giving birth. Photo: World Health Organisation (WHO).

The research team, including co-first authors Dr. Nataly Stylianou from QUT and Dr. Ismail Sebina of UQ, delved into the genetic aftermath of Covid infection during pregnancy.

“We went down to the gene level to see what happens to the placenta when a woman gets Covid-19 during pregnancy,” Dr Stylianou said.

“The placenta struggles and kicks into recovery mode.

“We found strong links between Covid-19 in pregnancy and the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia, a severe and common pregnancy complication.”

Covid could be dangerous for unborn babies.

The co-authors also emphasised the broader implications of their research.

“This is significant because we could predict which pregnancies are likely to progress towards pre-eclampsia – and intervene before it happens.”

The research began at the start of the pandemic in 2020 and was carried out in collaboration with QUT, Mater Research and hospitals in Brazil, with the research paper now published in Clinical and Translational Immunology.