Reisolation of Staphylococcus aureus from bovine milk following experimental inoculation is influenced by fat percentage and specific immunoglobulin G1 titer in milk.

ABSTRACT

The associations of management parameters, herd characteristics, and individual cow factors with bovine mastitis have been subject of many studies. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between milk composition parameters, including fat, protein, lactose, urea, and specific immunoglobulin levels, at the time of experimental bacterial inoculation of the mammary gland and subsequent shedding dynamics of Staphylococcus aureus. Sixty-eight cows were experimentally infected with S. aureus and closely monitored for 3 wk. Mixed model analyses were used to determine the influence of management and herd characteristics (farm and experimental group), individual cow factors (days in milk, milk yield, and quarter position), and a challenge-related parameter (inoculation dose) in combination with either the milk components fat, protein, lactose and urea, or the S. aureus-specific antibody isotype titers at the time of bacterial inoculation, on the number of S. aureus reisolated from milk after inoculation. A positive association was observed between the milk fat percentage and the number of S. aureus reisolated from quarter milk, and a negative relationship between the S. aureus-specific IgG1 titer in milk and the number of S. aureus. These findings should be considered in the development of a vaccine against S. aureus-induced bovine mastitis.