Many clinicians have the problem of culturing breastmilk, only to have the lab claim that it grew 'normal flora'.
Labs and clinicians need to talk together about how to culture breastmilk. The lab needs to understand that coag negative staph is the culprit you want to identify and obtain sensitivities for, so that you can treat if clinically appropriate.
You could have your lab contact the University of Wisconsin lab to get their protocol. The bottom line is that the culture should be done in the same way that a joint fluid or pleural fluid is cultured, with the assumption that the fluid is sterile. We know that breastmilk is not sterile, but nevertheless, that is what needs to happen. If breastmilk is submitted as a wound culture, you will only get 'normal flora' reported ,unless the mother has E Coli, staph aureus, gr B strep, etc.
I know that several physicians in the US have been able to establish such protocols with their hospital or institutional labs.
Anne


Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM
Clinical Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Medical Director, UW Lactation Services
Medical Director, Mothers Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes
Founder and President of The Milk Mob, dedicated to building Breastfeeding Knowledgeable Medical Systems and Communities http://www.themilkmob.org<http://www.themilkmob.org/>




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