Protein in Breast Milk May Reduce Hospital Infections in Preemies

Lactoferrin is safe for newborns and might prevent pneumonia and meningitis, researchers say

By Robert Preidt

Friday, October 14, 2016

FRIDAY, Oct. 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A protein in breast milk helps protect premature babies from hospital-acquired infections, according to a new study.

"The majority of diseases affecting newborn preemies are hospital-acquired infections such as meningitis, pneumonia and urinary tract infections," said study lead author Dr. Michael Sherman. He is a retired professor of child health at the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia, Mo.

"Not only did we find that lactoferrin, a protein found in breast milk, could reduce hospital infections among preemies, but we also measured the safety of feeding the protein to newborns," he said in a university news release.

The study included 60 premature infants who were given lactoferrin through a feeding tube twice a day for 28 days, and 60 premature infants who received a placebo. Babies in the lactoferrin group had 50 percent fewer hospital-acquired infections, the study found.

Lactoferrin did not cause any harmful side effects, according to the study published recently in The Journal of Pediatrics.

"While a large-scale clinical trial is needed before lactoferrin becomes a standard treatment protocol in NICUs [neonatal intensive care units], our results show the safety of lactoferrin and provide an initial report of efficiency related to reducing hospital-acquired infections," Sherman said.

Lactoferrin can cost $25 to $500 per dose. The estimated costs for treatment of hospital-acquired infections in the United States is $9.8 billion a year, according to the news release.

SOURCE: University of Missouri, news release, Oct. 12, 2016

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