Detection of coagulase-negative staphylococci in pasteurized breast milk

Overview & Synopsis

Coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) are the most represented group of bacteria in raw breast milk and stools of very preterm neonates. CoNS are also a leading cause of late-onset sepsis in preterms and similarity between CoNS isolated from stools and neonate blood cultures suggests a causal relationship. Preterm infants are frequently fed with pasteurized breast milk (PBM) from milk bank and the pasteurization process should completely eliminate remaining CoNS. The aim of this study was to search for CoNS in PBM by cultivation and cultivation-independent methods to investigate the possible role of PBM as a vehicle for the transmission of CoNS to the neonates fed with PBM.