LaMaBac

The World Health Organization and many health organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Nevertheless, in recent years, several cases of bacteremia have occurred in hospitals among premature newborns, with a possible link to batches of breast milk contaminated with the pathogenic bacteria Bacillus cereus (Bc). The aim of this project is to determine the contamination status of breast milk batch samples from milk banks and their environment with regard to this hazard. The virulence potential of Bc strains isolated from maternal milks will be estimated by quantifying the production of emetic (cereulide) and diarrheal (enterotoxins) toxins, as well as assessing their host toxicity using the Drosophila melanogaster model. A comparison with strains involved in human infections in France will then enable us to determine the relative importance of the different transmission routes (maternal or environmental) and their possible involvement in infectious diseases in newborns. The various sociopolitical and contextual issues related to the breast milk debate will also be identified and analyzed. Thus, healthcare professionals will be better able to justify the adequacy and relevance of the control measures implemented to face Bc hazard, to re-examine them and disseminate selected preventive practices.