Bacteriology of feeding bottles

The study was conducted to determine the bacteriological quality of 112 infants' feeding bottles. Samples were collected from the feeding bottles brought by the caregivers of infants in the OPD of Dept. of Pediatrics, Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, Patna from the period of August 2015 to October 2016. The study was selected because it has been observed that more number of babies were found to be sick that were bottle fed than breast fed infants presenting in the OPD, also bottle fed infants had multiple OPD visits compared to breast fed infants The coliform group of bacteria, like E.Coli,4 Enterobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., Citrobacter spp.; enteric pathogens such as enteropathogenic E.Coli, Salmonella, Shigela spp., S. aureus, and Bacillus cereus; fungus like Candida were isolated in the significant colony count of 104colonies/ml or more from inoculation of swab samples of feeding bottles or nipples in the appropriate culture media. Not only the milk, but the process of storage and milk preparation itself contributes to the growth of bacteria. Contamination due to improper cleaning, disinfection and handling of feeding bottles as well as repeatedly feeding of the milk kept in the feeding bottle over prolonged period of time has been observed to cause infections in bottle fed infants. In the results shown, high level of bacteriological contamination of milk is apparent which is caused due to the incorrect dilution, improper storage, inadequate cooking and poor hygiene. Nursing mothers should be taught on the proper handling of feeding utensils and emphasize on the superior quality of breast milk. To reduce the diarrheal diseases in infants, well controlled community based, longitudinal studies are recommended.