From Medscape's pediatric email newsletter:

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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Who wants to bet the formula companies will milk this for all they can, pun
intended?

Anna Swisher

Austin, TX

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