An infant who is feed premasticated food is at risk for a number of infections.
A caregiver who premasticates food for an infant exposes the infant to infectious agents in the saliva and in blood, especially if the person has significant periodontal disease.
Infectious agents that can be spread from the caregiver to the infant:
(1) HIV
(2) hepatitis B (especially in a caregiver with chronic active hepatitis)
(3) Epstein-Barr virus
(4) Helicobacter pylori (especially if reflux disease is present)
In addition, the food being chewed may be uncooked and so contain pathogens such as enteric bacteria.
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