# Breastmilk and mad cow disease



## lacysmommy (Nov 10, 2004)

I may have been exposed to mad cow disease when I was younger. I am not allowed to donate blood because of it. I lived in Germany during the 80's and early 90's, which is when the UK had all those cows that got sick, and most of the meat from the military grocery stores were from the UK, so there's a chance I may have eaten some tainted meat. I was never a big meat eater, especially when it came to beef, when I was a little girl, so my risk is probably very small compared to, say, GI's who lived off the stuff.

Weather or not mad cow passes through breastmilk isn't going to make me stop breastfeeding. However, I want to donate my excess milk. I have about 15 ounces per day that I freeze, and if I can't donate I need to know so I can cut down to one daily pumping session gradually. I'd like to pump less than 10 ounces a day instead of 20 that I currently pump, since Lacy only eats maybe 3 or 4 ounces while I'm gone.

I've been trying to research it, but the only information that I have come up with is cow's milk from cows with the disease. They're saying it doesn't pass through their milk, but there's no way to test for mad cow disease so I'm not sure how they're coming up with that answer. (The only way they know for certain if a person or a cow died from the disease is to test them after their death-- it is only speculation before.)

If anyone knows any information or can help me research this topic, I would greatly appreciate it!


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## jplain (Aug 17, 2003)

My suspicion is that the risk can't be quantified yet, and may never be known with any degree of certainty.

But I'm wondering (and please don't be offended by this) if you aren't the wrong person to be doing the researching of this topic. Not that you shouldn't, but you aren't the one who would have to accept risk by using your milk, right? I think it is the other party's responsibility to decide whether it is safe, and it isn't your responsibility to convince them that your milk is safe.

Who would you be donating to? If it is a milk bank, you might not be eligible, because they may have the same restrictions that blood banks do. If they don't, you should probably inform them of the possibility and let them decide whether they want to accept your milk. If you want to donate directly to another mom, you should let her know and let her decide for herself if she wants to take the risk.


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## lacysmommy (Nov 10, 2004)

I'm not trying to convince them my milk is safe. I've offered it to two moms who are unable to bf and told them upfront I may have been exposed to mc. Obviously it is up to them if they accept my offer or not, but I do want to find out if it is possible to transfer through human milk. Because if it is, I will start cutting out pumping sessions right away. They might not be able to find out about this from their doctors for a few weeks, meanwhile I am overproducing and leaking like crazy over the weekend.
I saw something on the web saying that milk is fine from infected cows, but I haven't seen any studies on human milk. I would like to be able to reference them to those studies if they want some help in researching.


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## mum2 4 (Feb 20, 2004)

In addition to using human milk for babies, it is also recommended for those with a number of terminal illnesses. Since there may be a question about your exposure to MAd Cow disease, you may find donating to adults who use this prescious stuff for medical reasons would be a fine way to provide this gift to others.
Usually Milk Bank or private donors are extreemly cautious about accepting donations with potential risks. I had hepititus as a child living in Central America and cannot donate blood but no one ever said anything about not bf and all 4 of my children have no ill effects from doing so. chances are that the same would be true for your potential problem but better safe than sorry is no doubt what you will hear from Milk Banks and others unless its used as mentioned above.
Hope you find a positive use for your surplus...


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## jplain (Aug 17, 2003)

Here's an article that suggests there could be prion proteins in breastmilk: Prions in Breast Milk
The article cited in the references about the Japanese woman is from the New England Journal of Medicine, which is a highly respected, peer-reviewed publication. However, the presence of potentially infective proteins in breastmilk does not prove that infection could occur.

Another article originally published in the British Journal of Medicine suggests that even if prion proteins are present, maternal transmission of spongiform encephalopathy is unlikely: The myth of maternal transmission of spongiform encephalopathy
The data on populations affected by kuru is convincing to me. Kuru is a form of spongiform encephalopathy that affected tribal cultures who routinely consumed brain tissue from those who had died. Once they stopped that practice, no further cases were detected, even among breastfed children of women who already had or subsequently developed kuru.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

No, you can't donate it just like you can't give blood or donate cord blood (can you tell I'm bitter).







I lived in Germany when I was younger as well and am not allowed to do any of the above either, though I did give blood before they changed the rules. My understanding is that you can't get mad cow disease unless you eat their brains. Why do I think that? I swear I read it somewhere! Anyways, I'm sorry. Changing how much you pump would depend on when you pump and how often etc.


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## jplain (Aug 17, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thepeach80*
My understanding is that you can't get mad cow disease unless you eat their brains. Why do I think that? I swear I read it somewhere!

I believe the basic understanding is that contact with nervous system tissue of infected animals (including other humans) puts you at highest risk of contracting spongiform encephalopathy.

That contact could be surgical (ie. corneal transplant) or oral, either from eating ground meat contaminated with nervous system tissue, or from eating intact cuts of meat that have bone running through them along with associated nervous system tissue. Handling could probably contaminate even boneless cuts of meat with infective neural tissue.

But if prion proteins are found in other tissues, like blood or breastmilk, then a theoretical potential for infection exists, hence the precautions taken by bloodbanks.


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## crunchymamatobe (Jul 8, 2004)

I understand that the American Red Cross has to error on the side of caution, but I completely understand your frustration, lacysmommy. I have lived in the UK since late 2001, and lived in France for six months in 1999. The ARC's current rules on blood donation exclude anyone who was spent six or more _months_ in pretty much any western European country since 19-friggin-80. 1980!

So, by the ARC's rational, everyone in the UK and all of western Europe could have been exposed to BSE. lacysmommy, if I were you, I totally wouldn't worry about it. I mean, you couldn't donate milk to a milk bank in the US, but you're not any more at risk of being a vCJD (human form of BSE) carrier than anyone in the entire population of the UK.

Also, FWIW, according to this article, there has only been one ever case _in the world_ of vCJD being passed from person to person. It would seen that most people have become infected through tainted meat.

ETA: Just checked the regulations for giving blood in the UK. Seems they only would prevent you from donating on vCJD grounds if you have two or more immediate family members who have the disease.

Also ETA, lacysmommy, isn't 15 ounces a day like a huge amount to be pumping? You rock, mama!


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