Breast milk is the best food that the newborn can receive, since it provides all the nutrients that the baby needs and adapts to each stage of its growth, in addition to protecting it against infections and diseases in the short and long term. The WHO recommends it exclusively during the first six months of life, and keep it until at least two years supplemented with other foods.
A recent study presented at the American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting has found that human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) – short chains of sugar molecules abundant in breast milk – can help prevent group B streptococcal infections in human cells and tissues and in mice.
“Our laboratory has shown that HMO mixtures isolated from the milk of different donor mothers have antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity against GBS,” explains Dr. Rebecca Moore, who presented the study.
He added that oligosaccharides “act as antiadhesives by preventing pathogens from adhering to tissue surfaces and forming a biofilm, and could act as prebiotics by promoting the growth of good bacteria .”
The risk of group B streptococci in newborns
Group B strep is a bacteria commonly found in the intestines or lower genital tract, which is usually harmless in healthy adults. However, in newborns it can cause a serious illness known as group B streptococcal disease.
Newborns infected with group B strep can get an infection in the blood (sepsis) , an infection in the lungs (pneumonia), or an infection of the fluid or tissues around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis) , causing any of them the death of the baby .
Although they can often be treated or prevented with antibiotics, the bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant. About 2,000 babies in the United States contract group B strep each year, and 4-6% of them die from it.
Bacteria from mother to baby
Bacteria are often transferred from mother to baby during delivery. To prevent this from happening, towards the end of pregnancy, between weeks 35 and 37, the mother is tested for streptococcus in the pregnant woman, a test to detect the bacteria in the pregnant woman’s vagina that could infect the baby. at the time of delivery.
If the test is positive, the mother is given intravenous antibiotics during labor to help prevent early-onset infections, which occur during the first week of life.
Fewer infections in breastfed babies
The researchers found that the incidence of infections that appear between the first week of life and up to three months after birth is higher in formula-fed babies than in breastfed babies, suggesting that milk sugars maternal might help protect against these bacteria .
American Chemical Society (ACS)
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