In a breastfed infant, there is less chance of enteric infection is due to ____________: (A) Alkaline pH, (B) Breast milk nutrients and immunological superiority, (C) Ig in breast milk, (D) Bacteroides and Clostridium in gut
Answer is B. Lactoferrin present in breastmilk is less than 50% saturated with iron, which makes it unsuitable for the growth of enterobacteria. Breast milk especially colostrum has living phagocytic macrophages & lymphoid cells, which provide non-specific gastrointestinal host defenses and offer protection against diarrhea. Ref: Page 97; Ghai essential pediatrics; 6th edition