Comparison of the risk of microbiological contamination between samples of breast milk obtained at home and at a healthcare facility

Abstract

Introduction. Breast milk is the best food for preterm infants. Due to their inadequate suction-swallowing action, the administration of expressed breast milk should be done with an orogastric tube. There is little information available regarding the microbiological safety of expressed breast milk. The aim of this article was to evaluate if there were any differences regarding the contamination of breast milk obtained at a healthcare facility versus at home. Methods. Cross-sectional study that analyzed pairs of breast milk samples (one obtained at home and the other one at a healthcare facility, the same day) from mothers of hospitalized newborn infants with a gestational age ≤35 weeks. Samples with over 10 5 CFU/mL of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, or with the presence of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, enterobacterias, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, fungi, and yeast were considered contaminated. Results. A total of 280 breast milk samples (140 pairs) from 53 mothers were analyzed; 139 samples (49.6%; 95% CI: 43.6 to 55.6) were contaminated; contamination was significantly more frequent in the samples obtained at home than in those obtained at a healthcare facility (59.6% versus 39.6%; p = 0.0008; OR 2.25; 95% IC: 1.36 to 3.7). Conclusion. Half of the breast milk samples had bacterial growth, which was more frequent in the samples obtained at home than those obtained at a healthcare facility.

Review concludes that specific recommendations are needed to harmonise the provision of fresh mother's milk to their preterm infants

“…The clean collection of expressed breast milk is crucial to obtain milk with very little bacteria, as it has an impact on acceptable storage duration . Collecting human milk in neonatal units was shown to significantly reduce the risk of microbial contamination when it was compared to home collection . The guidelines for the collection and handling of breast milk must be followed, both at the hospital and at home .…”

Safe management of expressed breast milk: A systematic review

“…Differences in the impact of context on cleaning and disinfection methods for handling EBM were discussed in two studies. 52,54 One paper that was cited in a literature review described differences in contamination levels between hospitals and homes and found that EBM expressed at home was more contaminated. 54 Serra and colleagues' study corroborated this finding.…”

“…54 Serra and colleagues' study corroborated this finding. 52 standards. 12 The UK's NHS had clear recommendations for feeding equipment cleaning methods.…”

“…Data reported in one paper were used for Question 1. 52 Recommendations and guidelines from the grey literature sources were considered against the evidence from the published papers.…”

Hygienic-sanitary quality and effect of freezing time and temperature on total antioxidant capacity of human milk

“…This microorganism is common in regions of the human body such as the nasal passages, throat, skin, and hair (Silva et al, 2010). According with Serra et al (2013), the presence of pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalis, Enterobacter sakazakii, (â-hemolytic) Streptococcus pyogenes, species of Pseudomonas, Proteus and Salmonella is considered unacceptable for food or human milk. Table 1.…”