Sugars in breast milk may help prevent infections in newborns

The GBS bacteria are a common cause of blood infections, meningitis, and stillbirth in newborns. Although GBS infections can often be treated or prevented with antibiotics, the bacteria is becoming increasingly resistant.

New York: Sugars in breast milk can help prevent Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infections in human cells and tissues as well as in mice, researchers have found. The GBS bacteria are a common cause of blood infections, meningitis, and stillbirth in newborns. Although GBS infections can often be treated or prevented with antibiotics, the bacteria is becoming increasingly resistant. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), or short strings of sugar molecules abundant in breast milk, might be able to replace antibiotics for treating infections in infants and adults, said the researchers from the Vanderbilt University in the US.