Publications by authors named "Ashley C Sukhu"

Background: SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-LNP immunizations significantly reduce severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease and have been widely administered throughout the world including those who are pregnant and postpartum. However, our understanding of the immune response within the context of pregnancy and breastfeeding, especially the antibody kinetics and function within the breast milk compartment, is limited. To address this gap, we studied longitudinal blood and breast milk samples from lactating women throughout the primary immunization schedule and for several months after.

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The effects of heterogeneous infection, vaccination and boosting histories prior to and during pregnancy have not been extensively studied and are likely important for protection of neonates. We measure levels of spike binding antibodies in 4600 patients and their neonates with different vaccination statuses, with and without history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We investigate neutralizing antibody activity against different SARS-CoV-2 variant pseudotypes in a subset of 259 patients and determined correlation between IgG levels and variant neutralizing activity.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Pregnant patients face higher risks of morbidity and mortality from SARS-CoV-2, and their exposure levels in NYC during the pandemic are not fully understood due to early testing limitations and asymptomatic cases.
  • - Before vaccines were available, pregnant patients were advised to take preventive measures like wearing masks and quarantining to minimize their risk of infection.
  • - A study of data from 2,196 pregnant patients showed that those who were already pregnant when the pandemic began had a 50% lower risk of exposure to the virus compared to those who became pregnant later and the general population.
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Background: For some vaccine-preventable diseases, the immunologic response to vaccination is altered by a pregnant state. The effect of pregnancy on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine response remains unclear.

Objective: We sought to characterize the peak and longitudinal anti-S immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M, and immunoglobulin A responses to messenger RNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnant persons and compare them with those in nonpregnant, reproductive-aged persons.

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Objective: To describe maternal and umbilical cord blood anti-spike immunoglobulin (Ig)G levels at delivery with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination before and during pregnancy and to assess the association of prior severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and a vaccine booster dose with anti-spike maternal and umbilical cord IgG levels.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of women with self-reported COVID-19 vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson/Janssen), including a booster dose, during or before pregnancy, who delivered at 34 weeks of gestation or more. Maternal and umbilical cord blood samples at delivery were analyzed for semi-quantitative anti-spike IgG.

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in pregnancy induces a robust maternal immune response, with transplacental antibody transfer detectable in cord blood as early as 16 days after the first dose.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how pregnant women who test positive for COVID-19 develop antibodies and how this affects their newborns' immunity, highlighting the connection between maternal and neonatal immune responses.* -
  • Researchers reviewed cases from a New York City hospital between March and May 2020, assessing maternal symptoms and the timing of antibody levels in both mothers and their infants through serologic testing.* -
  • Results showed differences in antibody levels between babies born to mothers with positive serology and those without, indicating that maternal immunity may significantly influence neonatal immunity.*
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