Coronavirus: Israeli study finds vaccine antibodies in breast milk

While it is generally known that children can receive different types of antibodies through nursing, scientific literature on the specific topic of COVID-19 is still meager.

The research aimed at verifying not only whether antibodies were found in the milk but also if they had the ability to neutralize the virus.

Ten women participated in the study, which was carried out by a team including Dr. Yariv Wine and PhD candidate Aya Kigel from the TAU Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research and a team at the Lis Maternity and Women’s Hospital at Sourasky led by Dr. Michal Rosenberg-Friedman and Prof. Ariel Many.

The levels of antibodies in the blood and breastmilk of the volunteers were tested at four points in time, following two vaccines.

The researchers found that the level of antibodies rose after 14 days after the first shot and continued seven days after the second shot.

The study is in the process of being peer-reviewed and confirms the findings of another project by researchers at the Providence Cancer Institute in Oregon, whose findings were released last week.  

In addition, Israeli researchers confirmed that the antibodies can block the virus from binding with receptors on host cells, therefore showing the potential to prevent the disease.

“The encouraging data show that vaccinating breastfeeding mothers promotes the production of important antibodies in their breastmilk, potentially protecting their nursing babies from the disease,” Wine commented.