Clinical, epidemiological and molecular characteristics of Streptococcus uberis infections in dairy herds

• Published in: Epidemiology and infection Vol. 130; no. 2; pp. 335 - 349
• Main Authors: ZADOKS, R. N., GILLESPIE, B. E., BARKEMA, H. W., SAMPIMON, O. C., OLIVER, S. P., SCHUKKEN, Y. H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01-04-2003
• Subjects: Animal bacterial diseases; Animal lactation; Animals; Antibiotics; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Calving; Cattle; Cattle Diseases - microbiology; Cattle Diseases - transmission; Dairy industry; Disease transmission; Epidemiology; Female; Herds; Infections; Infectious diseases; Longitudinal studies; Mastitis; Mastitis, Bovine - microbiology; Mastitis, Bovine - transmission; Medical sciences; Milk; Milk production; Milking; Observational studies; Pathogens; Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; Streptococcal Infections - microbiology; Streptococcal Infections - transmission; Streptococcal Infections - veterinary; Streptococcus; Streptococcus - classification; Streptococcus - genetics; Streptococcus - isolation & purification; Time Factors; Ungulates; Veterinary colleges; Veterinary medicine; Canada; Netherlands; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; Streptococcaceae; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Dairy cattle; Molecular epidemiology; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Streptococcus uberis; Artiodactyla; Veterinary; Herd; Ungulata
• ISSN: 0950-2688; 1469-4409
• DOI: 10.1017/S0950268802008221

A longitudinal observational study (18 months) was carried out in two Dutch dairy herds to explore clinical, epidemiological and molecular characteristics of Streptococcus uberis mastitis. Infections (n=84) were detected in 70 quarters of 46 cows. Bacterial isolates were characterized at strain level by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting. Persistent infections were usually attributable to one strain, while recurrent infections could be caused by different strains. When multiple quarters of a cow were infected, infections were mostly caused by one strain. In each herd, multiple strains were identified yet one strain predominated. The majority of all infections were subclinical, and infections attributed to predominant strains were more chronic than infections attributed to other strains. Epidemiological and molecular data suggest infection from environmental sources with a variety of S. uberis strains as well as within-cow and between-cow transmission of a limited number of S. uberis strains, with possible transfer of bacteria via the milking machine.