Human milk contaminated with Salmonella kottbus. A cause of nosocomial illness in infants.

Human milk contaminated with Salmonella kottbus caused an outbreak of illness in seven of 22 infants in a neonatal intensive care unit. A case-control investigation failed to identify any risk factor except consumption of milk from a single donor, whose milk was subsequently found to be contaminated with S kottbus. Collection of human milk from properly instructed donors screened for microbiological pathogens, refrigeration of this milk at 1 to 5 degrees C after collection, and controlled distribution by a milk bank should minimize the few hazards associated with its consumption.