Protein in breast milk reduces infection risk in premature infants

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-07/uom-pib072516.php

Public Release: 25-Jul-2016
Protein in breast milk reduces infection risk in premature infants
Study shows need for large-scale trial of lactoferrin's role in immune system development
University of Missouri-Columbia

Full-term babies receive natural protection from their mothers that helps them fight off dangerous infections. However, babies born prematurely lack protective intestinal bacteria and often are unable to be nursed, causing their infection-fighting capabilities to be underdeveloped. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the MU Sinclair School of Nursing have found that a manufactured form of lactoferrin, a naturally occurring protein in breast milk, can help protect premature infants from a type of staph infection.

"Babies born with low levels of protective intestinal bacteria are at an increased risk of devastating and sometimes deadly infections," said Michael Sherman, M.D., professor emeritus in the Department of Child Health at the MU School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "Our study found that giving very-low-birth-weight premature infants a manufactured form of lactoferrin can virtually eliminate the germ that causes a staph infection known as staphylococcus epidermidis."

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