Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Nov;14(6):1389-1415.
doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.08.007. Epub 2023 Aug 20.

Viruses and Human Milk: Transmission or Protection?

Rachele Francese  1 , Chiara Peila  2 , Manuela Donalisio  1 , Cristina Lamberti  3 , Simona Cirrincione  3 , Nicoletta Colombi  4 , Paola Tonetto  2 , Laura Cavallarin  3 , Enrico Bertino  2 , Guido E Moro  5 , Alessandra Coscia  6 , David Lembo  7
Affiliations
Review

Viruses and Human Milk: Transmission or Protection?

Rachele Francese et al. Adv Nutr. 2023 Nov.

Abstract

Human milk (HM) is considered the best source of nutrition for infant growth and health. This nourishment is unique and changes constantly during lactation to adapt to the physiological needs of the developing infant. It is also recognized as a potential route of transmission of some viral pathogens although the presence of a virus in HM rarely leads to a disease in an infant. This intriguing paradox can be explained by considering the intrinsic antiviral properties of HM. In this comprehensive and schematically presented review, we have described what viruses have been detected in HM so far and what their potential transmission risk through breastfeeding is. We have provided a description of all the antiviral compounds of HM, along with an analysis of their demonstrated and hypothesized mechanisms of action. Finally, we have also analyzed the impact of HM pasteurization and storage methods on the detection and transmission of viruses, and on the antiviral compounds of HM. We have highlighted that there is currently a deep knowledge on the potential transmission of viral pathogens through breastfeeding and on the antiviral properties of HM. The current evidence suggests that, in most cases, it is unnecessarily to deprive an infant of this high-quality nourishment and that the continuation of breastfeeding is in the best interest of the infant and the mother.

Keywords: antiviral activity; human milk; mother-to-child transmission; pasteurization; virus detection.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The detection of viruses in human milk.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Viruses transmitted through human milk.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Mechanism of action of the antiviral components of human milk.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Overview of human milk pasteurization processes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Section on Breastfeeding Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics. 2012;129(3):e827–e841. - PubMed
    1. Mazurier E., Rigourd V., Perez P., Buffin R., Couedelo L., Vaysse C., et al. Effects of maternal supplementation with Omega-3 precursors on human milk composition. J. Hum. Lact. 2017;33(2):319–328. - PubMed
    1. Smilowitz J.T., O’Sullivan A., Barile D., German J.B., Lönnerdal B., Slupsky C.M. The human milk metabolome reveals diverse oligosaccharide profiles. J. Nutr. 2013;143(11):1709–1718. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Global strategy for infant and young child feeding [Internet] [cited October 19, 2022]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9241562218.
    1. Chantry C.J., Eglash A., Labbok M. ABM position on breastfeeding-revised 2015. Breastfeed Med. 2015;10(9):407–411. - PubMed

Publication types

Substances