Dear Friends:
These reports don't give the whole story, I am sure. Does anyone have
access to the whole picture?
Breast-Feeding An Important Source of CMV Infection in Preterm Infants
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WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Feb 15 - Several studies have shown that
breast-feeding is an important source of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in
term infants, and a recent study by German investigators extends this finding
to preterm infants.
In a study reported in the February 17th issue of The Lancet, Dr. Klaus
Hamprecht, from the University Hospital of Tubingen, and colleagues assessed
the perinatal epidemiology of CMV infection by screening 151 mothers and
their 176 preterm infants for the virus. All but six of the mothers
breast-fed their infants.
Of the breast-feeding mothers, 76 were CMV seropositive and 69 were
seronegative. While no seronegative mothers had CMV in their breast milk, 96%
of seropositive mothers had CMV reactivation in their breast milk.
Thirty-seven percent of mothers with CMV in their breast milk transmitted the
virus to their infants, the researchers note. The early appearance of viral
DNA in milk whey and infectious virus in milk whey were significant risk
factors for transmission. The average viral incubation period in neonates was
42 days. About half of the 33 infected infants were asymptomatic, but four
did have sepsislike symptoms.
"Breast-feeding as a source of postnatal cytomegalovirus infection in preterm
infants has been underestimated and may be associated with a symptomatic
infection," the investigators conclude.
"Because breastfeeding is beneficial and popular, and because the number of
preterm infants in more developed countries is increasing, a new procedure
for gentle virus inactivation of seropositive breast-milk is being assessed
in our laboratory to prevent CMV transmission to extremely small preterm
infants in the future," Dr. Hamprecht's team writes
Lancet 2001;357:513-518.
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Nikki Lee RN, MSN, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CIMI
craniosacral therapy practitioner; childbirth educator
Elkins Park (a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; northeastern USA)
supporting the WHO Code and the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative
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