Specific complex carbohydrates in human milk protect against Norovirus

Oct 30 2014

Norovirus is the most common cause of viral epidemic gastroenteritis. About 18% of all gastroenteritis infections are caused by Norovirus affecting 267 million people worldwide every year. According to information of the Robert Koch-Institute more than 200.000 Norovirus-infections were registered in Germany during 2012 and 2013. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report up to 21 million Norovirus-infections per year in the USA.

Norovirus-infection is typically characterised by nausea, forceful vomiting and diarrhoea. To date neither a therapy nor an effective protection, e.g. vaccination, exists against Norovirus. The virus is extremely contagious and is transmitted directly from person to person and indirectly via contaminated water, food and surfaces.

Effective Protection

Breastfed infants show a considerably lower Norovirus-infection risk than bottle-fed infants. Scientific investigations have shown that specific complex carbohydrates in human milk - so called human-milk-oligosaccharides - are inter alia responsible for this unique protective effect.

The protective mechanism of human-milk-oligosaccharides cannot be overcome by pathogens and their consumption has no adverse effects. Soluble human-milk-oligosaccharides imitate cell-surface bound glycosylstructures that are used by pathogens such as Norovirus as receptor or co-receptor. By oral intake of human-milk-oligosaccharides these functional sugars prevail in the gastrointestinal tract and the blood stream. Pathogens entering the body e.g. in contaminated food connect to human-milk-oligosaccharides and are subsequently eliminated together with the non-digestible carbohydrates.

SOURCE Jennewein Biotechnologie GmbH