This past winter we also had an incidence of group b strep in mom's milk. We
had 28 week triplets, mom pumping. Babies, all things considered, were doing
ok. Mom got mastitis. Although not a protocol in our unit, milk was cultured
and grew out group b strep. We also thawed an older sample and it too grew
out. Babies were taken off breastmilk. One of the babies had an IV infiltrate
about a week later and became septic. Cultures grew out group b strep. Other
babies were cultured and were negative. Mom's mastitis very difficult to
clear, meds x3, now don't remember which ones. Milk continued to test positive
despite mom's treatment, even after the mastitis cleared.  We were never able
to use the milk unfortunately and mom stopped pumping. Marsha Walker advised
us about heat treating the milk for use but we never got to that point. If I
can give you other info e-mail me.
        Back on the pump cleaning. I understand why equipment that touches the
patient needs to be cleaned. But pumps and most of the other things that you
mentioned don't touch the patient. We clean them for general housekeeping, IV
solution that drips on the IV pump, formula that spills on the footstool, just
as we clean the floor daily. I still don't see the reason for hosing down the
pumps between moms. They connect their kit to the connection and turn it on,
that's all. Nothing "dirty" touches the pump. Do you have someone who washes
all the chairs each time someone sits in it? Seems to me there is more room
for germs there than with pumps that don't touch mom. It makes sense to clean
those pumps that you rent out, we have no control over what has happened to
them. In the controlled hospital environment where you know where the pumps
are I don't think they need to be treated as germ carriers. Maybe once a day
"deep" cleaning would be adequate.
Lisa RN, IBCLC
Boston