Glossary

Term · Feeding Your Baby

Cronobacter sakazakii

Also: Cronobacter, Enterobacter sakazakii, cronobacter infection

A rare germ sometimes found in powdered infant formula. It is the reason powdered formula is prepared with specific water and handling steps.

In plain words

Cronobacter sakazakii is a group of bacteria that can live in dry foods, including powdered infant formula. It is rare. Most healthy adults are not harmed by it. In newborns, especially premature babies, it can cause serious infection. Powdered formula is not sterile, which is why health agencies publish preparation guidance for it. The guidance covers how to handle water temperature, how to store prepared bottles, and how to keep scoops and containers clean. It is not a reason to avoid formula. Mothers who feed formula learn these steps as part of normal feeding care. Breast milk does not carry this risk in the same way.

The deeper version

Cronobacter (formerly Enterobacter sakazakii) is a gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic bacterium of the Enterobacteriaceae family. Iversen and Forsythe (Trends in Food Science and Technology, 2003) profiled it as an emergent pathogen associated with powdered infant formula, with the highest risk in neonates under 28 days, premature infants, and those with low birth weight. The WHO and FAO guidelines of 2007 on safe preparation, storage, and handling of powdered infant formula set the rationale for preparing formula with water at or above 70 degrees Celsius and for discarding prepared formula after a set period. Reported infant illness is rare, but case fatality in invasive disease is high, and the microbiology supports the handling guidance rather than a ban on powdered products.

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Sources

  • World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization — Safe preparation, storage and handling of powdered infant formula: guidelines, 2007
  • Iversen C, Forsythe S — Risk profile of Enterobacter sakazakii, an emergent pathogen associated with infant milk formula. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 2003

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