Bacteriological criteria for feeding raw breast-milk to babies on neonatal units

Aerobic cultures of 207 samples of drip breast-milk from seventy mothers in hospital showed that 6 (3%) were sterile and 170 (82%) contained only the commensal organisms coagulase-negative staphylococci and Streptococcus viridans. 25 (15%) grew potential pathogens--Staphylococcus aureus in 13 (6%); enterobacteria in 15 (7%); and group-B streptococci in 3 (2%). It is proposed that milk with commensals in any numbers may be considered for use unheated but not milk containing any potential pathogens.