The sugars naturally contained in breast milk would help fight bacterial infections in infants
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousThe sugars naturally contained in breast milk would help fight bacterial infections in infants. A new possibility for a fight against infections that does not involve the use of antibiotics.
GBS (group B Streptococcus) bacteria are mainly responsible for blood infections, meningitis and death in newborns. According to a study conducted by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 2.000 babies born each year in the United States contract infections from GBS bacteria - and 4-6% of these do not survive. Newborns come in contact with bacteria usually during labor or delivery. If the mother tests positive for GBS bacteria, she is given intravenous antibiotics during labor to prevent her from passing the infection to the newborn.
Although GBS infections can be treated with the use of antibiotics, the bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant. Now researchers have found that some sugars in breast milk - oligosaccharides (short chains of simple molecules) - can prevent GBS bacterial infections in human cells. In the future, oligosaccharides could also replace traditional antibiotics in the treatment of infections in children and adults.
(Read also: Coronavirus antibodies found in breast milk: the Dutch study)
The researchers studied the effects of oligosaccharides on several new mothers who showed a bacterial infection of GBS on the immune cells of the placenta and on the gestational membrane (the 'sac' that holds and protects the fetus). It was found that these sugars are able to completely inhibit bacterial growth both in macrophages and in the membrane.
Our laboratory has already shown that oligosaccharides isolated from breast milk have numerous benefits, and first of all they have an important antibiotic action against GBS - he says. Rebecca Moore, author of the study. - After the in vitro study, we want to go further to see if oligosaccharides can prevent infections in cells and tissues in pregnant women.
Oligosaccharides have been part of human life since the beginning: they are found in breast milk and are a fundamental part of the life and development of the baby. If you could better understand how they work, it would be possible to treat different types of infections with oligosaccharide mixtures. The hope, one day, is to be able to naturally replace antibiotics in both adults and children.
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Fonte: American Chemical Society
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