Expressed Breast Milk

Description: 
It is important that Expressed Breast Milk (EBM) is microbiologically tested, before and after heat treatment. Microbiology will perform isolation and identification of organisms likely to be pathogenic. Turn around time 1-2 days. Note these samples are not processed at weekends. Reports will indicate satisfactory or unsatisfactory dependant on number (cfu/ml) and type of organisms present.
Clinical details: 
Milk bank donation samples
Synonyms or keywords: 
EBM
Units: 
cfu/ml
Department: 
Infection Sciences Department
Location: 
St Thomas' Hospital
Sample type and Volume required: 
5-10ml of Expressed breast milk in a donor breast milk container (blue top), please indicate if pre or post pasteurisation and if the sample requires storage.
Turnaround time: 
1 - 2 days. Samples received between 9.00-17.00 Monday to Friday will be processed same day. Outside of these hours samples will be refrigerated prior to testing.
Special sample instructions: 

Pre and post pasteurisation samples accepted from neonatal unit only.

Criteria for acceptance / rejections of sample
Storage and transport: 
Place labelled sample in a sealed sample bag and send to Central Specimen Reception (CSR). Samples should be refrigerated if transport to the laboratory is delayed.
Contacts:
Infection Sciences Department at St Thomas' Hospital
020 7188 8008
St Thomas' Hospital
North Wing - 5th Floor
Westminster Bridge Road
London SE1 7EH
Core opening hours: Monday-Friday 0900-1730


For clinical advice or interpretation of results, please contact the laboratory in the first instance.
Laboratory: 
Microbiology Laboratory at St Thomas'

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Last updated: 27/11/2017