• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.162-168
• /
• 2017

Mastitis is a common and serious infection of the mammary gland in dairy cattle and has a major economic impact on the production of milk and dairy products. Bacterial mastitis is caused by several pathogens and is most frequently associated with coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS). Although CNS are typically associated with subclinical or mild mastitis, the importance of CNS has increased as these pathogens have emerged as predominant mastitis-related pathogens in many countries. CNS can cause persistent infections, resulting in increased milk somatic cell counts and thereby affecting milk quality and decreasing milk production. Globally, Staphylococcus chromogenes, S. epidermidis, and S. simulans are the predominant CNS species in dairy cattle mastitis. Antibacterial resistance of CNS varies with species, and most CNS are susceptible to vancomycin and resistant to penicillin and tetracycline. As the most frequently isolated CNS species, some strains of S. chromogenes exhibit phenotypic resistance to ampicillin, erythromycin, oxacillin, penicillin, and tetracycline. Some strains of S. epidermidis and S. haemolyticus are only susceptible to vancomycin and rifampicin. Therefore, more studies are needed to achieve the control and prevention of CNS as environmental pathogens.