Breast milk culture

What is breast milk culture?

Culture is a type of microbiological test thatóre aimed at identifying the bacteria present in a given biological material, which allows the doctor to implement the most effective treatment against them. In addition, when performing a culture, the resistance of the bacteria in question to certain groups of antibioticsów is often determined, which also has a significant impact on the selectionór of the most suitable treatment regimen. In this case, the test material is breast milk produced during lactation, whichóra occurs physiologically after pregnancy. Under normal conditions, a woman's milk should not ogóle contain microorganismsów-their presence usually indicates an ongoing infection in the mammary gland.

When should breast milk culture be performed?

This test is most often ordered by a doctor when a patient has symptoms of mastitis that&oac;re not responding to the initially implemented treatment or are significantly worsening over time. This is a fairly common condition that occurs during breastfeeding, affecting up to one in five women. The most common etiologic agent present is naturally occurring bacteria on the skinóbut the disease can also be caused by other strains of bacteria. A particular risk of infection with the problematic microorganism occurs in patients hospitalized for longer periods after delivery, due to resistant bacteria present in the hospital (such as MRSA- or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Rarely, breast tissue inflammation occurring outside of the postpartum period occurs.

Sowing breast milk involves multiplying microorganisms on special media obtained in the research próbce, which allows their identification based on the characteristic appearance of the bacterial colony and growth rate. In addition, the degree of inhibition of their growth in combination with specific therapeutic substances is evaluated.

Who should perform breast milk culture?

Femilk culture is mainlyóperformed in the course of mastitis in  lactating women. Despite the fact that it is a fairly common disease, if not diagnosed early enough, it can carry complications that will require more complicated treatment– for example, an abscess can form in the breast tissue, which will require surgical intervention in the form of surgical decompression and draining of the purulent contents inside. Therefore, it is extremely important to quickly implement effective pharmacotherapy when mastoiditis is diagnosed.

The first symptomsów of this disease include:

• increased breast warmth and swelling
• bóle of the breast, especiallyóly during feeding
• reddening of the skinóry
• fever
• general symptoms-fatigue, muscle painóle, chills

Breast milk culture- results and interpretation

The results thatóre obtained after a breast milk culture test will include information about the bacteria present in the biological material tested and which antibiotics they are most sensitive to. By using this information, the doctor can plan the most safe for the patient and the most effective drug treatment. If antibiotic therapy is prescribed, the doctor's instructions should be strictly followed, which significantly reduces the risk of recurrence of this disease, which could have a much more severe course compared to the original infection.