Reduction of bacterial contamination in banked human milk

Differences in bacterial counts in specimens of expressed human milk of 20 donors to a milk bank were assessed for the initial 5 ml of expression ("stripping") and the remaining portion ("stripped"). Guidelines for sanitary collection and storage of breast milk are based on dairy industry standards; bacterial counts greater than 10,000 colony forming units per ml indicate contamination. The stripping portion of the samples analyzed contained at the very least 50% more bacteria than stripped portions; very little difference was found among the stripped samples. Careful training of donors in sanitary procedures for the hand expression of breast milk is recommended for milk banks