Sugar in breast milk can help treat and prevent infections in newborns

Bacteria called group B streptococci (GBS) are a common cause of neonatal blood infections, meningitis and stillbirth

The researchers announced their findings at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society

"Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that a mixture of HMOs isolated from the breast milk of several different donor mothers has anti-GBS antibacterial and antibacterial membrane activity," Rebecca Moore introduced at the conference.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc), approximately 2,000 infants in the United States are infected with GBS each year, of which 4-6% of infants die of GBS

Researchers studied the effects of combined hmo from several mothers on GBS infections in placental immune cells (called macrophages) and pregnancy membranes (the sac around the fetus)

In order to figure out which HMOs and other oligosaccharides have these antibacterial effects and why, the researchers established an artificial two microbiome, in which GBS and beneficial Streptococcus salivary species grow on tissue culture plates, separated by semipermeable membranes

Somewhat surprisingly, the first hmo they tested in the system did not have this effect, but Townsend said that it is likely that one or more of the more than 200 unique sugars in breast milk are in the artificial microbiome.

"The history of health management organizations is as long as that of humans, and bacteria have not found them

Antibacterial properties of human milk oligosaccharides against group B streptococcus

One of the most challenging issues facing American medical institutions is how to combat hospital-acquired infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria