Elk Grove Village, IL—(ENEWSPF)—October 21, 2013. Websites selling human milk for infant consumption are gaining in popularity. In the study, “Microbial Contamination of Human Milk Purchased via the Internet,” published in the November 2013 issue of Pediatrics (published online Oct. 21), researchers purchased 102 cross-sectional samples of human milk through a popular U.S. milk-sharing website.
The milk samples were sent to a rented mail box in Ohio, and later compared with samples of unpasteurized, donated milk obtained through a milk bank. Seventy-four percent of the Internet milk samples were colonized with high bacterial counts overall, or had at least some Gram-negative bacteria; and 64 percent of the Internet samples tested positive for staphylococcous, compared to 25 percent of the milk bank samples. Three of the Internet samples were contaminated with Salmonella. The high overall bacterial growth and frequent contamination with disease-causing bacteria in the Internet milk reflected poor collection, storage or shipping practices, according to the study authors. Infants consuming human milk purchased via the Internet are at risk for negative outcomes, especially premature infants and those with compromised immune systems.
The study authors recommend lactation support for mothers who want to provide breast milk to their infants but who have difficulty making enough. Women who have extra milk should consider donating to a milk bank.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.
Source: www.aap.org
