Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Correspondence: J. A neonate born to an Ebola virusβpositive woman was diagnosed with Ebola virus infection on her first day of life. The patient was treated with monoclonal antibodies ZMapp , a buffy coat transfusion from an Ebola survivor, and the broad-spectrum antiviral GS On day 20, a venous blood specimen tested negative for Ebola virus by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction.
The patient was discharged in good health on day 33 of life. Further follow-up consultations showed age-appropriate weight gain and neurodevelopment at the age of 12 months. This patient is the first neonate documented to have survived congenital infection with Ebola virus. See the editorial commentary by Hayden, Friede, and Bausch on pages β Nearly all pregnancies of EBOV-infected women end with miscarriage or stillbirth [ 1 ]. All died; the longest documented survival duration was 19 days [ 2 ].
The single baby born alive died 2 days after birth unpublished data. EBOV transmission likely occurs in utero, as samples from amniotic fluid, placentas, and fetuses have tested positive for EBOV, but probably also during delivery and breastfeeding [ 3 ].
Possible reasons for the high mortality among fetuses and neonates include the immune-privileged uterine compartment, causing a high intrauterine and fetal viral load, as well as the immaturity of the fetal and neonatal immune system.
Neonates are known to have lower complement and neutrophil levels and reduced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity capacity, compared with adults [ 4 ].
