The healthy human body lives in symbiotic relationship with microorganisms.
The following tests revealed that raw milk reduces pathogenic bacteria in or added to the milk:
Raw Milk Challenge Test I
Large amounts of Campylobacter (an amount found in 20,000 grams manure) added to chilled raw milk (4°C):
Most strains showed a dramatic decline
Day 0 = 13,000,000/ml
Day 9 = less than 10/ml
The only stain that did not decline was a non-human strain.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 1982;44(5):1154-58
Campylobacter in raw milk at body temperature (37°C):
Bovine strains decreased by 100 cells/ml in 48 hrs.
Poultry strains decreased by 10,000 cells/ml in 48 hrs.
The protective components worked more quickly to reduce levels of pathogens in warm milk than in chilled milk.
Mikrobiyolji Bul ,1987:21(3):200-5
Lactoperoxidase in raw milk kills added fungal and bacterial agents1,2
Raw goat milk kills Campylobacter jejuni in a challenge test 3
1. Life Sciences, 2000;66(25):2433-9.
2. Indian J Experimental Biology, 1998;36:808-10.
3. J. Food Protection,63: 916-920.
Seven strains of E. coli O157:H7 in amounts of 1 million/ml added to raw milk. The pathogen failed to grow and died off gradually.1
L. mono added to raw milk at 98.6°F. After 56 hours, no viable cells of L. mono were detectible.2
"The growth of Staph. Aureus, S. Enteritidis and L. monocytogenes in raw milk at 99°C was reduced markedly compared to the growth of these organisms in pasteurized milk."3
Five strains of E. coli O157:H7 did not grow at 41o F and decreased over days.4
BSK Food & Dairy Laboratories (2002) inoculated raw colostrum and raw milk samples at 40°F from Organic Pastures Dairy (Fresno, California) with a cocktail containing 2.4 million Salmonella, 9.2 million E. coli O157:H7 and 8.1 million Listeria monocytogenes (these huge amounts are a very unlikely occurrence in a real-life situation).
Yet even with these huge amounts, pathogen counts declined over time and in some cases were undetectable within a week.
E.coli O157:H7 did increase slightly after a seven-days decline, possibly due to exhaustion of anti-microbial components in the milk.
The laboratory concluded: "Raw colostrum and raw milk do not appear to support the growth of Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 or Listeria monocytogenes."
McAffee, M. Unpublished data.
Coliform bacteria ferment lactose into lactic-acid. Coliforms are not necessarily pathogens
With few exceptions, coliforms are not considered to be a health risk. ". . . these rod-shaped bacteria are found everywhere in the environment, including the gut, the feces, soil, water and plants. However, " . . . they can be considered normal inhabitants of many soil and water environments that have not been impacted by fecal pollution"
". . . Research results have shown that total coliforms may not be an appropriate bacterial indicator of fecal pollution."
". . . Significant concentrations of coliforms in distribution systems do not represent a health risk to water consumers."
Stevens and others. Review of Coliforms, Australian Government, 10-11 April 2003
Four main groups: E.coli, Kiebsiella, Enterobacter, Citrobacter.
- Enterococci (considered "virulent" and/or "antibiotic resistant" in hospitals) inhibit pathogens such as Listeria in raw feta cheese.
eurekalert.org, April, 2008.
- Lactobacillus and staphylococcus produce bacteriocins against L. Monocytogenes and are sold as commercial starters to control listeria.
Hull. Australian Journal of Dairy Technology Aug 2007;62(2):100-102
- Staphylococci , Streptococci , Lactobacillis and Ent. faecalis in raw human milk inhibit pathogenic Staph aureus .
Heikkila and Saris. J Appl Microbiology 2003,95, 471-478
