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[Breast-feeding and intestinal parasites]
D Gendrel1, D Richard-Lenoble, M Kombila
1Département de Pédiatrie, Centre Universitaire des Sciences de la Santé, Libreville, Gabon.
Insights
Human milk offers protection against intestinal parasites like Giardia and Ascaris in infants. Breast-fed infants showed significantly lower parasite excretion compared to artificially fed infants.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Intestinal parasitic infections are a significant health concern in infants.
- Breastfeeding practices vary globally, impacting infant health outcomes.
- Understanding the protective factors of human milk is crucial for child survival.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in Gabonese infants.
- To compare infection rates among exclusively, partially, and artificially fed infants.
- To investigate the antiparasitic properties of human milk.
Main Methods:
- Fecal examination using four diagnostic methods.
- Study included 400 infants (0.5-24 months) and 170 mothers in an urban African community.
- Infants categorized by feeding method: exclusive, partial, or artificial breastfeeding.
Main Results:
- Mothers' parasitic prevalence was similar across infant feeding groups, indicating uniform exposure.
- Exclusively and partially breast-fed infants excreted significantly fewer parasites than artificially fed infants.
- The protective effect was observed in both the first and second years of life.
Conclusions:
- Human milk exhibits antiparasitic activity, primarily against Giardia and Ascaris.
- This protection is not solely due to reduced parasite exposure in breast-fed infants.
- The mechanism may involve non-antibody factors, potentially including lipids in human milk.
Abstract:
The extent of intestinal parasitic infection was determined using 4 methods of fecal examination in 400 Gabonese infants aged 0.5 to 24 months (86 exclusively and 151 partially breast-fed and 163 artificially fed) and in 170 of their mothers in an African urban community. Parasitic prevalence was the same in the stools of the mothers from the 3 infant groups, providing evidence for the same level of exposure to parasites in all infants. Exclusively and partially breast-fed infants excreted parasites in numbers significantly lower than artificially fed infants of the same ages, during the first and the second years of life. This antiparasitic activity of human milk concerned mostly Giardia and ascaris, was not exclusively due to a decreased exposure to parasites in breast-fed infants and did not seem exclusively antibody-mediated; the role of lipids is possible.