Breast milk is not sterile.  Viruses that the mother has may be in the
milk, skin bacteria definately gets into the milk.  If milk is left to
sit at room temperature, the phagocytes in the milk will reduce the
number of bacteria.

We all have a mix of bacteria in and on our bodies.  The baby is exposed
to many different organisms on it's way out of the mom's body, and once
it has anything at all in it's mouth they get to the gi tract.  Human
milk contains nutrients that facilitate the growth of bifidus species,
and factors that block the growth of enteric pathogens (such as
lactoferrin, which sequesters iron and prevents the growth of e.coli,
klebsiella, and other bugs).
Catherine Watson Genna, BS, IBCLC   NYC

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