Growth inhibition of common neonatal pathogens differs between bovine lactoferrin products

Introduction. Infection is a leading cause of mortality during the first year of life, with the neonatal period being particularly high risk. It is critical to identify non-antibiotic approaches to improve neonatal infection outcomes due to the non-specific clinical signs of neonatal infection and negative consequences of early-life antibiotic exposure. Lactoferrin is a protein found in all mammalian milk that has a variety of antimicrobial properties. Clinical trials have shown that lactoferrin supplementation during the neonatal period decreases rates of sepsis.Knowledge Gap. It remains unclear if there is an optimal lactoferrin preparation for human neonates.Aim. Compare bacterial growth inhibition capabilities between different commercially available bovine-derived lactoferrin (bLF) preparations.Methodology. This study uses a broth microdilution in vitro assay to directly compare the antibacterial effects and shelf stability of different bLF preparations against three common neonatal pathogens: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Streptococcus pneumoniae.Results. Bacterial growth inhibition differed significantly between bLF manufacturers and between different bLF lots/batches from the same manufacturer. Approximately half of the bLF products demonstrated decreased bacterial growth inhibition capabilities within 7-14 days after solubilization.Conclusion. These findings may help select optimal bLF products for clinical use in the neonatal population, but additional in vivo studies are needed to confirm our in vitro findings.