Epidemiology, treatment &

control of mastitis caused by

contagious, environmental, skin
flora and opportunistic
pathogens

Mastitis Management in
Economic Framework
Mastitis
• An inflammation of the milk secreting tissues of the udder,
caused by microbial infections in one or more quarters.
• Affects 25 to 30 percent of all quarters
• The most costly disease of dairy cattle
• $200 /cow/year
What’s mastitis ?
• Inflammation of one or more quarters of the udder

Normal Inflamed
Swelling
pain
warm
redness
Mammae = breast

-itis = Latin suffix for

Inflammation
Epidemiology of Mastitis

Host

Infectious
Environment
Agent
Housing, equipment, hygiene, Pathogenicity, virulence,
weather, bedding number
What causes mastitis ?
 Bacteria ( ~ 70%)
 Yeasts and molds (~ 2%)
 Unknown ( ~ 28%)
 physical
• trauma
• weather extremes
What are the health concerns of
mastitis ?
 Animal health
 Loss of functional quarter
 Lowered milk production

 Death of cow
 Human health
 Poor quality milk
 Antibiotic residues in milk
Types of Mastitis
• Contagious
• Environmental
 Contagious versus Environmental
• Contagious

• Spreads between cows or quarters

• Transmitted in the parlor during milking
• Usually chronic, subclinical mastitis
• Primary Causative Agents
•Strep. agalactiae
•Staph. aureus
•Mysoplasma bovis
•Strep. Dysagalactiae
Contagious versus Environmental
• Environmental

• Obtained through the environment

• Primary Causative Agents
•E. coli
•Klebsiella pneumoniae
•Strep. Uberis
•Strep. Dysgalactiae
Types of Mastitis
Pathogens
 Contagious microorganisms
 Staphylococcus aureus
 Streptococcus agalactiae
 Mycoplasma bovis
 Corynebacterium bovis
 Environmental microorganisms
 Environmental streptococci
 Coliform
 Opportunistic microorganisms
 Staphylococcus spp.
 Others
 Pseudomonas aeruginosa
 Actinomyces pyogenes
 Nocardia Species
 Strep agalactiae
• Infected udders of other cows in
Source
herd
• Cow-to-cow
Spread • Contaminated udder wash rag
• Teat cups

• Use separate towels to wash /

dry
Control • Teat dipping
• Dry cow treatment
 Strep agalactiae
• Only 10-15% show clinical signs
• Decreased milk production and high somatic cell counts
• In small herds, even one cow infected with Strep. ag can
raise the bulk tank cell count
• Purchased animals are frequently the source
• Treat all cows that culture positive for Strep. ag at the same
time in all four quarters
• Penicillin is usually effective
• Milk all infected cows last until subsequent cultures are
negative
• Cull the cows that do not respond to therapy
 Staph aureus
• Infected udders of other cows
Source • Contaminated bedding from milk of infected cows

• Cow-to-cow
• Contaminated udder wash rag
• Milker’s hands
Spread • Contaminated milking equipment
• Improperly functioning equipment
• Injured teat ends
• Use separate towels to wash / dry
• Teat dipping
Control • Dry cow treatment
• Milk infected cows last
• Cull chronically infected cows
 Staph aureus
• Very chronic, subclinical infection
• Can damage tissue producing areas of walled off infections that
do not respond to antibiotic therapy
• High SCC and recurrent clinical mastitis
• New infections in young animals may respond to antibiotic
therapy
• Low chance of response to antibiotics during lactation
• Somewhat higher during dry period
• Milk known Staph aureus cows last
• If it is economically feasible, cull chronically infected cows
 Mycoplasma
• Infected udder of other cows
Source • Often from infected purchased cows/ heifers

• Cow-to-cow
• Hands of milkers
• Equipment
• Common towels
Spread
• Aerosol transmission from animals with respiratory
signs
• Bacteria can move from a respiratory tract infection to
the udder
• Careful purchasing of replacement cattle
• Using bulk tank and cow culturing
• Use separate towels to wash/dry
Control • Teat dipping
• Dry cow treatment
• Milk infected cows last
• Cull any positive clinical case
 Mycoplasma
• Tend to shed high numbers of organisms at calving time
• Often subclinical, may not have high SCC
• Does not respond to antibiotic therapy
• Milk may vary from thick appearing milk to a watery,
sandy consistency
• Cull all cows that are known to be Mycoplasma
positive
• When buying animals, multiple bulk tank cultures from
the herd of origin are recommended
• Do not feed waste milk to calves
• Practice good fly control on the dairy and heifer grower
facilities
 Non-ag Streps
• Streptococcus and Enterococcus species (non-agalactiae streps) include
Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus dysgalactiae
• Frequently occur during the dry period especially during the first 2
weeks
following dry off and during the first 2-3 weeks prior to calving
• These bacteria may cause
– Clinical mastitis with abnormal milk
– Swelling of the gland
– Fever
– Subclinical mastitis with no apparent signs
– High SCC

• Most infections eliminated by the cow's immune system or by antibiotic

therapy
• Some environmental strep. infections (18%) will become chronic and poorly
responsive to treatment
 Escherichia coli
• E. coli is commonly found in bedding, manure, water,
and soil
• Can cause life-threatening illness
• Most E. coli infections are of short duration
• Some chronic
• 10% of cows may have a sudden onset of fever,
markedly decreased milk production, loss of appetite
and dehydration
• Often these cows will go down and be unable to rise
• Milk may have large clots or be watery or bloody
 Escherichia coli
• Clinical signs are due to toxins produced and
released by the bacteria
• Supportive therapy with anti-inflammatory
drugs and fluids may be required for these
cases
• Antibiotic therapy is often of little benefit
• Most often the cow's immune system will
effectively kill the bacteria
• Immunization with J5 vaccine can reduce the
incidence and severity of clinical cases
 Klebsiella
• Commonly found in organic bedding, manure, and soil
• Associated with the use of green sawdust or recycled
manure bedding
• Rates of new infections are higher in the summer
• Very difficult to treat
• Infected animals frequently have to be culled
• May have a sudden onset of fever, markedly decreased
milk production, loss of appetite and dehydration
• Often these cows will go down and be unable to rise
• Milk from the affected quarter may have large clots or be
watery or bloody
 Klebsiella
• Clinical signs are due to toxins produced and
released by the bacteria
• Supportive therapy with anti-inflammatory
drugs and fluids may be required for these
cases
• Antibiotic therapy is often of little benefit
• Most often the cow's immune system will
effectively kill the bacteria
• Immunization with J5 vaccine can reduce the
incidence and severity of clinical cases
 Enterobacter and Citrobacter
• Found in bedding, manure and soil
• May cause a life threatening acute mastitis.
• Cows may have a sudden onset of fever, markedly decreased milk
production, loss of appetite and dehydration
• Often these cows will go down and be unable to rise
• Milk from the affected quarter may have large clots or be watery
or
bloody
• Supportive therapy with anti-inflammatory drugs and fluids may be
required for these cases
• Antibiotic therapy is often of little benefit
• Most often the cow's immune system will effectively kill the
bacteria
• Immunization with J5 vaccine can reduce the incidence and severity
 Staph species

Source • Environment of cow

• Poor teat dip coverage

Spread • Poor cow prep
• Old bedding

• Consistent teat dipping

Control • Adequate cow prep
• More frequent bedding change
 Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus
species (Staph species)
• Can be normal inhabitants of bovine skin
• Can be found in the environment in bedding and manure
• One of the most common organisms cultured from dairy cows
• Usually subclinical mastitis
• If a herd is experiencing a high incidence of Staph species
infections, post milking teat dip products and their application
should be re-evaluated
• Staph species can be quite resistant to antibiotic therapy
• Most infections will resolve without treatment, given enough
time
• Persistent infection will likely clear during the dry period
 Pseudomonas species
• Commonly found in water (ponds, troughs, wells, and wash
hoses), contaminated teat dips
• Poor intramammary treatment administration and
contaminated multidose bottles of medications can be
sources
• Usually chronic infections
• Respond poorly to antibiotic therapy
• Clinical outbreaks can occur with swelling of the udder, high
fevers, and abnormal milk
• If clinical outbreaks occur, water supplies on the dairy
should be cultured
• Avoid access to ponds, low wet areas, and standing
water
 Serratia species
• Commonly found in soil and water
• Generally a contaminant in the milk sample
• However, Serratia species may cause clinical mastitis
• Does not respond well to lactating cow antibiotic
treatment
• If Serratia species are isolated along with other more
common mastitis causing agents it may be a
contaminant
• If it is the only agent isolated, it is probably the
responsible agent
 Yeast
• May be found in contaminated multi-dose antibiotic or
other medication bottles and contaminated syringes
• Spread by contaminated intramammary infusions
where aseptic technique has not been followed
• Most cases cure themselves
• Yeast mastitis is not responsive to standard anti-
microbial therapy
• Care during when inserting instrument or antibiotic into
the udder
• Be sure to disinfect scrub teat ends with alcohol
• Use single use treatment tubes only
• Avoid treatment with multi-dose bottles of medication
 Prototheca species
• Prototheca species are algae
• Isolated from plants, bedding material, soil, mud, ponds and
standing water, manure, and water troughs
• May cause acute or chronic mastitis.
• A watery mammary secretion with flakes and clots
• Unresponsive to intramammary or systemic antibiotics
• Limit access to ponds, mud, and other areas with standing
water
• Milk cows infected with Prototheca spp. last, or with a
separate unit
• Remove infected cows from the herd
 Corynebacterium (Arcanobacterium
•
pyogenes)
Environmental mastitis (wounds, abscesses, contaminated bedding material
and damaged teat ends)
• Often called “summer mastitis,” more common when humid
• Some cows spontaneously cure
• Does not respond to therapy
• Frequently spread by flies or by direct teat end contact with a contaminated
surface
• Once an infection is established, the prognosis is poor and loss of the
quarter is expected
• Severe clinical mastitis caused by A. pyogenes is characterized by a thick,
yellow, foul smelling discharge
• Stalls should be comfortable and overcrowding should be avoided to
minimize teat injuries
• Establish an effective fly control program
Line of Treatment for Mastitis
• Antibiotics
• Anti-inflammatory
• Vitamin A & C
• Fluid Therapy
• Oxytocin
 Culling

Four ways
Spontaneous to Treating at
recovery dry-off
eliminate
mastitis

Treatment in
lactation
Goals of Antimicrobial Therapy

1. Return cow to 2. Prevent 3. Eliminate

normal production mortality in infectious
and composition peracute cases organisms

4. Prevent new 5. Prevent drug 6. Keep existing

cases from getting
infections residues
worse

8. Reduce spread
7. Minimize
of existing 9. Improve overall
damage to
infections to other herd health
secretory
cows
tissues

Winning the Fight Against Mastitis, 2000

Cure rates for Existing Infections-
Antibiotic Therapy
Species Cure Rate

Streptococcus agalactiae 90-95%

Environmental Streptococci (i.e. Strep 40-50%

uberis and Strep dysgalactiae)

Staph aureus, chronic cases 20-30%

Staph species 50 to 60%

Coliforms 0 to 10%

Mycoplasma, yeasts, Nocardia 0%

Ruegg Treatment Flowchart
Reasons for Treatment Failures

2. Poor selection of 3. Stopping treatment

1. Delayed treatment
drugs or dose too soon
levels

6. Protection of
4. Resistance of 5. Development of
bacteria within white
organisms to drugs bacterial-L forms
blood cells

7. Presence of deep-
seated infections
walled off by scar
tissue, clots, and
swelling

Winning the Fight Against Mastitis, 2000

Mastitis Prevention
 Proper Milking Techniques
 Procedures, training, monitoring
 Keep cows clean!
 Proper Bedding
• Sand is the best bedding
• Organic bedding (sawdust, etc.) must be dry
• Stall sized to fit cows
• Tail docking
 Nutrition
 Vitamins and minerals
 Milk contagious cows last
 Maintain milking equipment
Control of Contagious Mastitis
• Dip teats in germicide after pre and post milking
• Treat quarters with dry cow antibiotics at end of lactation
• Milking order
• Individual cloth/paper towels to wash/dry teats
• Clean hands, gloves
• Cull persistently infected cows
• Minimize teat end lesions
Control of Environmental Mastitis
• More difficult to control than the contagious pathogens
• ID source and remove (bedding, ponds, mud)
• Clip udders
• Milk only clean dry teats
• Clean parlor, stalls, bedding
• Pre-dip teats with germicide before milking – No
• water
• Keep cows standing after milking - feeding
• Sterile infusion techniques (alcohol swab)
Costs of Mastitis
• Milk production losses
• Drugs
• Discarded milk
• Veterinary services
• Bonuses
• Labor
• Culling
• Other diseases
Mastitis Cost Breakdown
THANK YOU