One of the most common bacterial infections that pregnant women can suffer is that caused by group B streptococcus (GBS), which if not treated properly can cause complications, such as premature labor or neonatal pneumonia. There are antibiotics to fight this infection, but many bacteria are developing resistance to these drugs.
A group of researchers has now found a possible solution to this maternal and child health problem in breast milk. Breastfeeding has long been known to be the best way to feed babies and protect them against a number of diseases, and these scientists have discovered that certain sugars in breast milk may also help prevent infections before the baby is born. .
These compounds are the oligosaccharides of human milk (OLM) and have antibacterial effects naturally. As the researchers explain in the article published in ACS Central Science, these sugars can stop a common prenatal infection in human tissues and pregnant female mice, so in the future they could help prevent premature births or complications without the need to use additional antibiotics. .
Antimicrobial effects of sugars in human milk
Steven Townsend, Jennifer Gaddy, and their colleagues had previously examined the antimicrobial effects of OLMs and found that they were able to inhibit the growth of group B strep in vitro and in certain reproductive cells. But before these compounds can be used to boost available antibiotics or become a new therapeutic option on their own, researchers need to show how sugars work in many tissues and in vivo.
This work could allow these sugars to be used as a viable therapeutic option to treat group B strep infection and prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Therefore, the team wanted to investigate the activity of OLM in GBS infections in pregnant mice and in human tissues. They first tested the protective effects of OLMs on GBS-infected human tissue using ex vivo fetal tissues and an organoid model of the vagina. When they added a mixture of OLM designed to mimic the sugar composition in breast milk, the bacteria were unable to attach and form colonies. The OLM mixture was then tested in GBS-infected pregnant mice.
The treated mice had a relatively typical level of inflammation, reduced numbers of bacteria in various reproductive tissues, and did not experience preterm births, rupture of membranes, or maternal deaths. Taken together, these results demonstrate that OLMs can have antimicrobial effects without the use of additional antibiotics. The researchers have stated that this work could allow these sugars to be used as a viable therapeutic option to treat GBS infection and prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes.
