Subclinical bovine mastitis associated with Staphylococcus spp. in eleven Uruguayan dairy farms

Authors

  • Rosario de los Santos Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Leche, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la República (UdelaR), Montevideo, Uruguay https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6173-6973
  • Álvaro González-Revello Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Leche, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la República (UdelaR), Montevideo, Uruguay https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7488-7925
  • Lucía Majul Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Leche, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la República (UdelaR), Montevideo, Uruguay
  • Ana Umpiérrez Departamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE), Montevideo, Uruguay https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5897-0400
  • Ariel Aldrovandi Departamento de Calidad Alimentaria, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la República (UdelaR), Montevideo, Uruguay
  • Andrés Gil Departamento de Bioestadística e Informática, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la República (UdelaR), Montevideo, Uruguay
  • Darío Hirigoyen Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Leche, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la República (UdelaR), Montevideo, Uruguay https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9973-0158
  • Pablo Zunino Departamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE), Montevideo, Uruguay

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.12960

Keywords:

Staphylococci, antibiotic resistance, Uruguay, dairy cattle

Abstract

Introduction: Bovine mastitis is the most common disease affecting the dairy industry, with staphylococci being considered as one of the most significant and prevalent causes. This study aimed to assess the presence of staphylococcal subclinical mastitis (SCM) in Uruguayan dairy farms and to identify Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) in milking cows. In addition, the antibiotic susceptibility of isolated staphylococci was evaluated.

Methodology: We tested 546 apparently healthy milking cows from 11 farms for detecting SCM using the California Mastitis Test (CMT). The cows were not treated with antibiotics. CMT-positive samples were cultured, and colonies compatible with Staphylococcus spp. were further identified through molecular techniques. The susceptibility of the Staphylococcus spp. isolates against thirteen antibiotics was determined using the disk diffusion method.

Results: Subclinical staphylococcal mastitis was present in almost all (82%) farms. SA (n = 39) was more common than NAS (n = 9) in the 48 samples tested. Isolates exhibited resistance to one, two, and even three different antibiotics. Resistance to penicillin was the most frequent among SA (23/39) and NAS (4/9). No staphylococci isolates exhibited resistance to cefoxitin, vancomycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, or clindamycin.

Conclusions: Staphylococcal SCM is one of the most common diseases in Uruguayan dairy farms. SA was the prevalent pathogen, however SA and NAS mastitis coexisted in many farms. NAS were identified and its distribution was similar to other countries. Penicillin had the highest and most frequent percentage of resistance.

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Published

2022-04-30

How to Cite

1.
de los Santos R, González-Revello Álvaro, Majul L, Umpiérrez A, Aldrovandi A, Gil A, Hirigoyen D, Zunino P (2022) Subclinical bovine mastitis associated with Staphylococcus spp. in eleven Uruguayan dairy farms. J Infect Dev Ctries 16:630–637. doi: 10.3855/jidc.12960

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 04: April 2022

Section

Original Articles

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