INFECTIONS IN NEWBORNS CAN BE TREATED AND PREVENTED WITH SUGAR FROM BREAST MILK

Edited by, SNEHA MAVIS

HMOs are short strings of sugar molecules present in abundance quantities in breast milk. According to a recent study, they can aid in the prevention of GBS infections in human cells and tissues as well as animals. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria are a common cause of blood infections, meningitis, and stillbirth in neonates.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 500 babies in the United States get GBS each year, with 4-6% dying as a result. During labour and delivery, the bacteria are frequently passed from mother to child. When an expectant mother tests positive for GBS, she is routinely given intravenous antibiotics during labour to help prevent early-onset infections, which occur during the first week life.

Interestingly, the frequency of late-onset infections is higher in formula-fed infants than in breastfed infants, implying that components found in breast milk may help protect against GBS. If this is the case, sugars might potentially replace antibiotics, which, in addition to killing beneficial bacteria, are becoming less effective due to antibiotic resistance.

The researcher looked at the impact of several mothers' combined HMOs on GBS infection of placental immune cells and the gestational membrane. HMOs were found to be completely capable of inhibiting bacterial growth in both macrophages and membranes. They wanted to see if HMOs could keep a GBS infection from spreading through the reproductive tracts of pregnant mice. HMO therapy dramatically reduced GBS infection in five different areas of the reproductive tract.

The researchers created an artificial two-species microbiome with GBS and the beneficial Streptococcus salivarius species growing in a tissue culture plate separated by a semi-permeable membrane to figure out which HMOs and other oligosaccharides had these antimicrobial effects and why. The researchers next added galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), which are generated from plants and are typically seen in newborn formula. GBS inhibited the growth of "good" bacteria in the absence of sugar, however GOS aided the growth of this beneficial species.

According to the researchers, the reason HMOs can treat and prevent GBS infection is likely due to two factors: they work as an anti-adhesive by preventing pathogens from attaching to tissue surfaces and building a biofilm, and they may act as a prebiotic by promoting the growth of good bacteria.