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Oral administration of L. salivarius PS2 prevents infectious mastitis
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Oral administration of Lactobacillus salivarius PS2 during late pregnancy may be an efficient method of preventing infectious mastitis in women who are susceptible to the condition, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
“The health effects of breast-feeding are well-recognized and apply to mothers and infants in developed and developing countries,” Leónides Fernández, PhD, of the department of nutrition, food science and food technology at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and colleagues wrote. “However, numerous barriers to breast-feeding remain and, among them, mastitis represents the first medical cause of undesired weaning. Mastitis is generally used to define an infectious process of the mammary gland characterized by a variety of local and, in acute cases, systemic symptoms.”
Noting previous studies in which the oral administration of selected lactobacilli strains was shown to be an effective treatment for infectious mastitis, the researchers sought to assess the efficacy of using one such strain, L. salivarius PS2, in preventing lactational mastitis in women with a history of the infection in previous pregnancies.
The double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study included 108 pregnant women who were divided into two groups. The probiotic group (n = 55) ingested a daily capsule with approximately 50 mg of freeze-dried probiotic, from about week 30 of pregnancy until birth. The remaining women (n = 53) were given a placebo — powdered milk. The researchers evaluated the occurrence of mastitis during the first 3 months after delivery.
According to the researchers, 59% of the participants experienced mastitis. However, only 25% of the women in the probiotic group developed the infection, compared with 57% in the placebo group. In addition, when mastitis was observed, the milk bacterial counts in the probiotic group were lower than those in the placebo group (P = .006).
“Given the often recurrent nature of lactational mastitis and the significant differences in mastitis incidence observed between the probiotic and the placebo groups in this cohort, the administration of L. salivarius PS2 to pregnant women has the potential to improve overall quality of life, decrease antibiotic courses, and decrease health care costs,” the researchers wrote. “Preventive strategies aiming to reduce mastitis occurrence, such as the use of a target-specific probiotic strain, may contribute to extend the benefits of breast-feeding and are, therefore, relevant to public health.” – by Jason Laday
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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