Table 2.
Bacterial count thresholds for pasteurization (A) and discarding (B) of breast milk intended for premature infants < 32 weeks postmenstrual age or body weight < 1,500 g.
| Evidence of | Replies n (%) | No pasteurization needed | Bacterial count limits (colony-forming units/mL) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| >0 | ≥102 | ≥103 | ≥104 | ≥105 | |||
| (A) PASTEURIZATION OF BREAST MILK FOR BACTERIAL COUNT REDUCTION ACCORDING TO POSITIVE CULTURE RESULTS | |||||||
| Skin commensals | 27 (100) | 12 (44) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 5 (19) | 10 (37) |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 27 (100) | 5 (19) | 7 (26) | 1 (4) | 7 (26) | 4 (15) | 3 (10) |
| Gram-negative bacteria | 26 (100) | 4 (15) | 14 (54) | 0 (0) | 5 (19) | 1 (4) | 2 (8) |
| Bacillus cereus | 24 (100) | 8 (33) | 8 (33) | 0 (0) | 4 (17) | 2 (8) | 2 (8) |
| (B) DISCARDING OF BREAST MILK DUE TO BACTERIAL CONTENT ACCORDING TO POSITIVE CULTURE RESULTS | |||||||
| Skin commensals | 48 (100) | 30 (63) | 0 (0) | 3 (6) | 4 (8) | 2 (4) | 9 (19) |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 48 (100) | 13 (27) | 9 (19) | 6 (13) | 4 (8) | 3 (6) | 13 (27) |
| Gram-negative bacteria | 48 (100) | 12 (25) | 12 (25) | 5 (10) | 5 (10) | 6 (13) | 8 (17) |
| Bacillus cereus | 44 (100) | 14 (32) | 13 (30) | 1 (2) | 6 (14) | 2 (4) | 8 (18) |