http://www.thejakartapost.com/node/165286
April 3, 2008 1:51 AM Food and drug agency finds no bacteria in infant formula Erwida Maulia , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 04/03/2008 1:35 AM | Headlines The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) announced on Wednesday the results of its analysis of 96 infant formula brands, saying they were all free of contamination by Enterobacter sakazakii bacteria. Following a February report by the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), which said the bacteria had contaminated 22 percent of infant formula brands on the market, BPOM launched an investigation. The 96 brands examined represent every brand registered with the monitoring agency. BPOM head Husniah Rubiana Thamrin Akib said Wednesday, as quoted by Antara news agency, that all 96 instant formula brands were not only free from E. sakazakii, but also from other pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella, Shigella and Coliform. She said BPOM also tested for contamination by chemical substances, fungus and heavy metals, turning up no contaminated samples. "The examination of these milk formulas cost Rp 1.5 million (US$163) per sample," Husniah said. She said BPOM used two methods, recommended by the Food and Drug Agency of the United States and ISO/TS 22964:2006, to examine possible contamination by E. sakazakii in the infant formula. E. sakazakii is a Gram-negative rod-shaped pathogenic bacterium, which, according to University of Indonesia microbiology professor Pratiwi Pujilestari Sudarmono, is associated with the use of infant formula. Pratiwi said last month the bacteria had a virulence factor giving it the ability to produce certain types of proteins that could trigger fever and diarrhea. The bacteria, he said, could also penetrate the brain and cause encephalitis, an acute inflammation. However, she emphasized that the bacteria did not produce illnesses in healthy babies. She also said infection by E. sakazakii was rare globally, while there had never been any reported infection by the bacteria in Indonesia. IPB's report on the alleged contamination was based on research performed in 2003. Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari slammed the research last month, saying it was invalid. However, concerned by possible infection by E. sakazakii in neonates and infants, a 2004 joint meeting between the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization in Geneva introduced several recommendations for the use of infant formula. The recommendations include the use of hot water (70-90 degrees Celsius) during the reconstitution of powder, and the use of commercially available sterilized liquid products as a replacement for powdered formula, especially for high-risk infants.
