Epidemiology of intramammary infections with Staphylococcus aureus and mastitis streptococci in a dairy cattle herd with a history of recurrent clinical mastitis

The aim of the present work was to examine a dairy herd with an anamnesis of recurrent clinical mastitis and decreased milk production. A total of 239 individual cow milk samples originating from asymptomatic cows were collected at four-month intervals and examined mainly for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus and mastitis streptococci using standard cultivation methods. In total, 29.7% and 9.2% samples were positive for S. aureus and mastitis streptococci, respectively. Unlike for mastitis streptococci, the prevalence of animals positive for S. aureus had an increasing trend (p<0.05; Chi-squared test for trend) with rising parity. Despite in vitro susceptibility of S. aureus to potentiated penicillin and cephalosporins, the persistence of S. aureus was observed in cows undergoing intramammary treatment with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (a potentiated penicillin antibiotic). All isolates of S. aureus were biofilm-positive and had the same macrorestriction pattern. Furthermore, no dependence was observed between the occurrence of S. aureus in milk and previous cases of clinical mastitis, reproductive and periparturient disorders and administration of antibiotics. In contrast to S. aureus, the occurrence of mastitis streptococci in milk was linked with previous cases of clinical mastitis and intramammary administration of antibiotics.