Detection of Clostridium perfringens in donor milk at a human breast milk bank: a case report
Abstract Background The breast milk bank is a professional organization that collects donor human milk (DHM) for special medical needs by recruiting qualified breast milk donors. Such organizations are also responsible for the disinfection, processing, testing, storage, distribution, and use of brea...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-11-01
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| Series: | BMC Infectious Diseases |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-023-08822-8 |
| _version_ | 1797577903621275648 |
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| author | Ke Liu Zhiyong Liu Xufei Chen Rouzhi Wang Dan Wang |
| author_facet | Ke Liu Zhiyong Liu Xufei Chen Rouzhi Wang Dan Wang |
| author_sort | Ke Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The breast milk bank is a professional organization that collects donor human milk (DHM) for special medical needs by recruiting qualified breast milk donors. Such organizations are also responsible for the disinfection, processing, testing, storage, distribution, and use of breast milk. As DHM is a biological product, it may get contaminated. Microbiological testing is the final step to determine microbial contamination of DHM. However, a universal method for the microbiological analysis of DHM in breast milk banks globally is lacking.DHM without strict screening may become a potential carrier of pathogens and seriously threaten the health of infants. Clostridium perfringens, a gram-positive anaerobic bacterium, is capable of causing wound infections, including gas gangrene, enteritis/enterocolitis, and enterotoxemia. Here, the first case of C. perfringens detected in DHM has been reported to facilitate the identification of such contamination in breast milk banks. Case presentation A breastfeeding mother donated 3000 mL of milk to the breast milk bank of the First Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical University(over 2900 beds and patient receiving capacity of over 132,000), Chongqing, China. The milk sample was subjected to microbiological screening using liquid enrichment, followed by anaerobic and aerobic culturing. The results revealed the growth of C. perfringens in the anaerobic culture medium, but no bacteria or yeast-like fungi were observed in the aerobic culture medium. The donor did not exhibit any clinical symptoms, and her routine blood results and body temperature were normal. However, the infant fed with her milk had recurrent bloody stools. Breast milk bank infection control emergency handling as well as environmental sampling and investigation revealed that the cause was contamination of the donor’s home-use breast pump with C. perfringens. The infant no longer experienced bloody stool once the donor changed the breast pump. Conclusions C. perfringens can enter breast milk from contaminated pumping environments or devices, thus causing illness in infants. The microbiological testing of DHM in breast milk banks can be accomplished using liquid enrichment, along with anaerobic and aerobic culture, which is of immense significance in improving the standards for microbiological screening, DHM safety, and infant health. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:14:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b433597127dc4be1af3cfc7ef411c3f3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2334 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:14:36Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Infectious Diseases |
| spelling | doaj.art-b433597127dc4be1af3cfc7ef411c3f32023-11-19T12:29:52ZengBMCBMC Infectious Diseases1471-23342023-11-012311710.1186/s12879-023-08822-8Detection of Clostridium perfringens in donor milk at a human breast milk bank: a case reportKe Liu0Zhiyong Liu1Xufei Chen2Rouzhi Wang3Dan Wang4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical UniversityClinical Laboratory, the First Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical UniversityDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical UniversityDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical UniversityDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the First Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical UniversityAbstract Background The breast milk bank is a professional organization that collects donor human milk (DHM) for special medical needs by recruiting qualified breast milk donors. Such organizations are also responsible for the disinfection, processing, testing, storage, distribution, and use of breast milk. As DHM is a biological product, it may get contaminated. Microbiological testing is the final step to determine microbial contamination of DHM. However, a universal method for the microbiological analysis of DHM in breast milk banks globally is lacking.DHM without strict screening may become a potential carrier of pathogens and seriously threaten the health of infants. Clostridium perfringens, a gram-positive anaerobic bacterium, is capable of causing wound infections, including gas gangrene, enteritis/enterocolitis, and enterotoxemia. Here, the first case of C. perfringens detected in DHM has been reported to facilitate the identification of such contamination in breast milk banks. Case presentation A breastfeeding mother donated 3000 mL of milk to the breast milk bank of the First Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical University(over 2900 beds and patient receiving capacity of over 132,000), Chongqing, China. The milk sample was subjected to microbiological screening using liquid enrichment, followed by anaerobic and aerobic culturing. The results revealed the growth of C. perfringens in the anaerobic culture medium, but no bacteria or yeast-like fungi were observed in the aerobic culture medium. The donor did not exhibit any clinical symptoms, and her routine blood results and body temperature were normal. However, the infant fed with her milk had recurrent bloody stools. Breast milk bank infection control emergency handling as well as environmental sampling and investigation revealed that the cause was contamination of the donor’s home-use breast pump with C. perfringens. The infant no longer experienced bloody stool once the donor changed the breast pump. Conclusions C. perfringens can enter breast milk from contaminated pumping environments or devices, thus causing illness in infants. The microbiological testing of DHM in breast milk banks can be accomplished using liquid enrichment, along with anaerobic and aerobic culture, which is of immense significance in improving the standards for microbiological screening, DHM safety, and infant health.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-023-08822-8Clostridium perfringensDonor human milkBreast milk bankMicrobiological testing |
| spellingShingle | Ke Liu Zhiyong Liu Xufei Chen Rouzhi Wang Dan Wang Detection of Clostridium perfringens in donor milk at a human breast milk bank: a case report BMC Infectious Diseases Clostridium perfringens Donor human milk Breast milk bank Microbiological testing |
| title | Detection of Clostridium perfringens in donor milk at a human breast milk bank: a case report |
| title_full | Detection of Clostridium perfringens in donor milk at a human breast milk bank: a case report |
| title_fullStr | Detection of Clostridium perfringens in donor milk at a human breast milk bank: a case report |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detection of Clostridium perfringens in donor milk at a human breast milk bank: a case report |
| title_short | Detection of Clostridium perfringens in donor milk at a human breast milk bank: a case report |
| title_sort | detection of clostridium perfringens in donor milk at a human breast milk bank a case report |
| topic | Clostridium perfringens Donor human milk Breast milk bank Microbiological testing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-023-08822-8 |
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