Abstract
Since December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused over 12 million infections and more than 550 000 deaths.(1) Morbidity and mortality appear partly due to host inflammatory response.(2) Despite rapid, global research, the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the developing fetus remains unclear. Case reports indicate that vertical transmission is uncommon; however, there is evidence that placental and fetal infection can occur.(3-7) Placentas from infected patients show inflammatory, thrombotic, and vascular changes that have been found in other inflammatory conditions.(8,9) This suggests that the inflammatory nature of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy could cause adverse obstetric and neonatal events. Exposure to intrauterine inflammation and placental changes could also potentially result in long-term, multisystemic defects in exposed infants. This review will summarize the known literature on the placenta in SARS-CoV-2 infection, evidence of vertical transmission, and possible outcomes of prenatal exposure to the virus.