Australia study: Pasteurization can inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in contaminated breast milk

Reporter : Hao Yalin / Publisher : XinhuaNet via ScienceNet

Ref : http://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2020/8/444140.shtm 

Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

Image : Milk pasteurization system. Courtesy of Alamy.

Although there is no evidence in the scientific community that SARS-CoV-2 (covi, in short) can spread through breast milk, there are always people worried about it. In this regard, a new study in Australia says that pasteurization can effectively inactivate covi in breast milk after contaminating breast milk with SARS-CoV-2 in the laboratory.

According to reports, Australia has five “breast milk banks” that accept breast milk donations to help mothers who do not have enough breast milk or cannot breastfeed their children to achieve breastfeeding. Although there is no evidence that covi can transmit through breast milk, many mothers are still worried about the safety of donated breast milk.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia and other institutions recently published a paper in the Australian Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, saying that they contaminated frozen and fresh breast milk with covi in the laboratory, and then used pasteurization commonly used in the "breast milk bank" method to heat the breast milk contaminated with the virus to 63 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. The results show that this can effectively inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk.

Researchers also freeze breast milk in an environment of 4 degrees Celsius to minus 30 degrees Celsius, and found that freezing has little effect on the survival of covi. The covi number in breast milk is only slightly reduced after freezing. After 48 hours of frozen storage, active covis can still be found in breast milk.

The researchers hope that these findings can provide guidance for breastfeeding and storing breast milk for mothers who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2.