{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T00:53:34Z","timestamp":1782867214115,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)","issue":"7","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) establishes lifelong infection, and there is currently no vaccine or cure. Postnatally, infants can acquire the virus by consuming raw breast milk (BM) from seropositive mothers. Most of these infections are asymptomatic and do not result in either short- or long-term adverse health problems. However, preterm infants can experience significant illness, with severity inversely related to their gestational age at the time of infection. Given the risk of symptomatic disease, empirical treatments to prevent viral transmission in BM have been advocated. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend feeding preterm infants their mother\u2019s raw BM because the health benefits outweigh the risks associated with postnatally acquired CMV infection. This review discusses the health advantages of providing raw mother\u2019s BM to preterm infants. It also explains how milk sterilization procedures can alter its nutritional content, leading to impaired growth and increased morbidity in this patient population. Furthermore, it details postnatal CMV infection in preterm infants, including known clinical findings, treatment recommendations, and potential outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1542\/neo.27-7-027","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T00:09:57Z","timestamp":1782864597000},"page":"e414-e424","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Postnatal Cytomegalovirus Risk Does Not Outweigh the Benefits of Mother\u2019s Raw Milk"],"prefix":"10.1542","volume":"27","author":[{"given":"Shelley M.","family":"Lawrence","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"1Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah"},{"name":"2Primary Children\u2019s Hospital, Intermountain Healthcare, Salt Lake City, Utah"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Elisabeth","family":"Moreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"3National Institute of Women\u2019s, Children\u2019s and Adolescent Health Fernandes Figueiras, Funda\u00e7\u00e3o Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Josef","family":"Neu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"4Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"417","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"2026063020050769100_r1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e2022057988","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2022-057988","article-title":"Policy statement: breastfeeding and the use of human milk","volume":"150","author":"Meek","year":"2022","journal-title":"Pediatrics."},{"issue":"5","key":"2026063020050769100_r2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e2021054272","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2021-054272","article-title":"Promoting human milk and breastfeeding for the very low birth weight infant","volume":"148","author":"Parker","year":"2021","journal-title":"Pediatrics."},{"key":"2026063020050769100_r3","volume-title":"Guidelines on Optimal Feeding of Low Birth-Weight Infants in Low- and Middle-Income Countries","author":"World Health Organization; 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