Anti-microbial susceptibility of Streptococcus spp. isolated from bovine mastitis in Argentina

The in vitro susceptibility to penicillin G, erythromycin and clindamycin was determined by the disc diffusion test and by E-test for a total of 47 streptococcal strains (three Streptococcus uberis, 36 Streptococcus agalactiae, eight Streptococcus dysgalactiae spp. dysgalactiae) isolated from bovine intramammary infections in Argentina. Moreover, resistance phenotypes of erythromycin-resistant streptococcal isolates was characterized. MIC90 of penicillin G, erythromycin and clindamycin for S. agalactiae were 0.75, 8.0 and 12.0 microg/ml respectively. Resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin was detected in 13 (27.6%) and 12 (25.5%) isolates respectively. No isolate was resistant to penicillin G. Resistance against macrolides, lincosamides and streptogramin B (MLS(B)) represented by the constitutive MLS(B) phenotype was present in 11 (23.4%) erythromycin-resistant isolates and two isolates (4.3%) expressed the M phenotype. The inducible MLS(B) phenotype was not identified. Results suggest that beta-lactams are the first-line antibiotics when treating streptococcal udder infections; however, the continuous monitoring of the antibiotic resistance is essential, as the emergence of resistant strains has become a growing concern on the therapy of bovine mastitis.     

THE NEW SOUTH WALES MASTITIS CONTROL PROGRAM

Bacteriological examinations were made on quarter samples from cows in 35 herds over a 3 year period to monitor the response in a mastitis control program. Initially, Staphylococcus aureus predominated in 32 of the herds and the mean herd prevalence was 26%. The control measures halved this rate but there was considerable variation in response between herds. The decline occurred rapidly and there was a significant reduction (P less than 0.01) by 3 months. Streptococcus agalactiae predominated in 3 herds and the overall infection rate was 4.9%. Control measures eliminated the infection completely from most herds but reinfection occurred in 2 herds. The greatest decline occurred in the first 6 months and was significant (P less than 0.05). The measures had little effect upon Str. uberis and Str. dysgalactiae which remained fairly consistently at low levels. Initially, strains of Staph. aureus resistant to penicillin were dominant in most herds. In a minority of herds strains resistant to streptomycin predominated and in these herds there was a concurrent resistance to penicillin. These patterns did not change greatly over the control period. Resistance by Str. agalactiae to streptomycin occurred in most herds at the start of the program.     

Identification of Streptococcus spp. causing bovine mastitis by PCR-RFLP of 16S-23S ribosomal DNA

Traditional microbiological methods for identification of Streptococcus spp. causing bovine mastitis have been demonstrated to be less than highly reliable. PCR-RFLP analysis of 16S-23S ribosomal DNA was used to characterise seven reference strains of streptococcal mastitis pathogens as well as four reference strains of other gram-positive, catalase-negative cocci of bovine origin to allow comparative identification of field isolates. RFLP analysis of PCR products, using a combination of two restriction endonucleases in single reactions (HaeIII and AluI, HaeIII and RsaI or AluI and RsaI) generated unique patterns for species of Streptococcus, Enterococcus and Lactococcus. One hundred field isolates of Streptococcus spp. collected from cows with clinical or subclinical mastitis were tested. Fifty-seven isolates, classified by conventional tests as S. uberis, were identified as 47 S. uberis and six S. parauberis by their unique RFLP patterns. The remaining four isolates had RFLP patterns distinct from the reference strains and two of these were identified as closely related to S. iniae and two to Aerococcus viridans by 16S rRNA sequencing. Conventional identification of 17 S. agalactiae and 26 S. dysgalactiae subsp. dysgalactiae was confirmed by RFLP. Use of a combination of restriction enzymes in a single tube enabled the rapid, accurate, cost effective and easily performed identification of all major streptococcal mastitis pathogens.     

THE RESISTANCE TO ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS ISOLATED FROM THE BOVINE UDDER

SUMMARY Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (total 1657) from bovine mastitis were collected from 13 laboratories throughout Australia from 1974 to 1979. They were tested for resistance to antimicrobial agents using an agar dilution method. Resistance shown was mainly to penicillin and streptomycin. Occasional strains were resistant to neomycin, lincomycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and furazolidone but multiple resistance was rare. No strain showed resistance to methicillin. Resistance to penicillin declined from 35% in 1974–75 to 7.1% in 1979. Most strains (1395) were retested to allow induction of penicillinase: 62% produced the enzyme.     

Antimicrobial sensitivity testing of Australian isolates of Bordetella avium and the Bordetella avium-like organism

SUMMARY: The in-vitro sensitivity of 16 Australian isolates of Bordetella avium and 15 isolates of B avium -like organism to 11 antimicrobial agents or combinations of agents was determined using a microtitre plate system to establish minimal inhibitory concentrations. All the B avium isolates were sensitive to ampicillin but resistant to erythromycin, lincomycin, spectinomycin, sulphamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and lincomycin + spectinomycin. Most of the B avium isolates were sensitive to tetracycline and resistant to streptomycin and sulphadiazine. All the B avium -like isolates were resistant to ampicillin, erythromycin, lincomycin, spectinomycin, streptomycin, tetracycline, trimethoprim, and lincomycin + spectinomycin. Most B avium -like isolates were sensitive to sulphadiazine, sulphamethoxazole and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole.     

Antibiotic resistance of staphylococci from humans, food and different animal species according to data of the Hungarian resistance monitoring system in 2001

Based on data of the Hungarian resistance monitoring system the antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus strains of human and animal origin was studied. No methicillin-resistant staphylococci harbouring mecA gene were isolated from animals in 2001. Penicillin resistance, mediated by penicillinase production, was the most frequent among Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from humans (96%), from bovine mastitis (55%), from foods (45%) and from dogs. In staphylococci isolated from animals low resistance percentages to aminoglycosides (0-2%), fluoroquinolones (0.5-3%) and sulphonamides (0.5-4%) were found but in strains isolated humans these figures were higher (1-14%, 5-18% and 3-31%, respectively). The most frequent antibiotic resistance profiles of strains isolated from animals and food were penicillin/tetracycline, penicillin/lincomycin and penicillin/lincomycin/tetracycline. Penicillin/tetracycline resistance was exhibited by strains from mastitis (3), samples from the meat industry (31), poultry flocks (1), poultry industry (1), noodle (1) and horses (2). Penicillin/lincomycin resistance was found in 10 Staphylococcus strains from mastitis, 1 from the dairy industry, 1 from the meat industry and 6 from dogs. Isolates from mastitis (2), from the dairy industry (2), from pigs (1), from the meat industry (1) and from poultry (1) harboured penicillin/lincomycin/tetracycline resistance pattern. Multiresistant strains were usually isolated only from one and sometimes from two animal species; therefore, the spread of defined resistant strains (clones) among different animal species could not be demonstrated. These results also suggest that the transfer of antibiotic resistance of S. aureus from animals to humans probably occurs less frequently than is generally assumed.     

Tetracycline resistance determinants in streptococcal species isolated from the bovine mammary gland.

Seventy-one streptococci isolated from dairy cows with clinical mastitis were tested for tetracycline resistance. Twenty-one (30%) isolates were tetracycline resistant (Tcr), and eight hybridized with the Tet O, one hybridized with the Tet L, and one hybridized with both the Tet L and Tet K determinants. The remaining Tcr isolates did not hybridize with any of the 5 Gram-positive Tet determinants tested. The Tet O determinants were plasmid-mediated, and four selected strains transferred the Tet O determinant at frequencies of 10(-6) to 10(-8). Strains which did not hybridize with known probes were tested for resistance to minocycline. All of the Streptococcus dysgalactiae had low minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for minocycline, while the S. agalactiae and the one S. uberis showed high MICs to minocycline. This suggests that at least two different uncharacterized Tet determinants exist in these isolates, one conferring high resistance to both tetracycline and minocycline and one conferring only tetracycline resistance.     

In vitro sensitivity of Hungarian Actinobaculum suis strains to selected antimicrobials

In vitro antimicrobial sensitivity of 12 Hungarian isolates and the type strain ATCC 33144 of Actinobaculum suis to different antimicrobial compounds was determined both by the agar dilution and by the disc diffusion method. By agar dilution, MIC50 values in the range of 0.05-3.125 micrograms/ml were determined for penicillin, ampicillin, ceftiofur, doxycycline, tylosin, pleuromutilins, chloramphenicol, florfenicol, enrofloxacin and lincomycin. The MIC50 value of oxytetracycline and spectinomycin was 6.25 and 12.5 micrograms/ml, respectively. For ofloxacin, flumequine, neomycin, streptomycin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin and sulphamethoxazole + trimethoprim MIC50 values were in the range of 25-100 micrograms/ml. With the disc diffusion method, all strains were sensitive to penicillin, cephalosporins examined, chloramphenicol and florfenicol, tetracyclines examined, pleuromutilins, lincomycin and tylosin. Variable sensitivity was observed for fluoroquinolones (flumequine, enrofloxacin, ofloxacin), most of the strains were susceptible to marbofloxacin. Almost all strains were resistant to aminoglycosides but most of them were sensitive to spectinomycin. A strong correlation was determined for disc diffusion and MIC results (Spearman's rho 0.789, p < 0001). MIC values of the type strain and MIC50 values of other tested strains did not differ significantly. Few strains showed a partially distinct resistance pattern for erythromycin, lincomycin and ampicillin in both methods.     

奶牛临床型乳房炎的细菌分离鉴定与耐药性分析

2011年山西省多个奶牛场发生了较严重的乳房炎,对76份采集的奶样进行细菌分离鉴定并采用药敏纸片法检测主要分离菌的抗生素耐药情况。所分离细菌以革兰氏阳性菌为主,革兰氏阳性球菌和其他革兰氏阳性菌分别占60.67%和23.59%。分离出多种病原菌和机会致病菌,主要的病原菌有链球菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠杆菌等,检出率为2.24%~11.24%,其中无乳链球菌的检出率最高;机会致病菌有粪链球菌、微球菌、克雷伯菌、凝固酶阴性葡萄球菌等,检出率为1.12%~11.24%,其中粪链球菌和微球菌的检出率较大,分别为11.24%和6.74%。药敏试验检测结果显示,在所选的15种药物中,主要分离菌均对丁胺卡那霉素、氟哌酸和恩诺沙星3种药物敏感;大肠杆菌、克雷伯菌、凝固酶阴性葡萄球菌对青霉素类和β-内酰胺/β-内酰胺酶抑制剂类药物产生了极强的耐药性,耐药率均为100%;乳房链球菌对该类药物也产生不同程度的耐药,耐药率为20%~100%;对链霉素产生100%耐药的细菌有大肠杆菌、克雷伯菌、无乳链球菌、乳房链球菌、停乳链球菌等细菌;部分分离菌对卡那霉素、庆大霉素、链霉素、四环素、红霉素、先锋霉素Ⅴ、复方新诺明等药物产生不同程度耐药。被检奶牛场混合感染较为严重,应进一步加强环境卫生管理,临床治疗应合理有效用药。     

Isolation and characteristics of nutritional variants of streptococci of animal origin

Four strains of nutritionally variant streptococci (NVS) were isolated from the milk of mastitic cows and one strain from the lungs of a laboratory Norway rat which died from suppurative pneumonia. In primary cultivation NVS grew aerobically and anaerobically within 48-hour incubation at a temperature of 37 degrees C as minute nonhemolytic satellite colonies around a previously overlaid S. aureus strain or around other gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. In the first subcultures NVS were growing in nutrient media enriched with 10% bovine serum and 5% staphylococcal filtrate, or 0.02% to 0.002% pyridoxal hydrochloride. All isolates did not grow in presence of 10%, 40% bile, and 6.5% of sodium chloride, neither did they grow at a temperature of 45 degrees C, they did not hydrolyze sodium hippurate, esculin, arginine, they did not produce levane and dextran from saccharose, they produced acid from mannitol, sorbitol, inulin, lactose, raffinose, trehalose, glucose, saccharose and maltose. Two strains produced acid from xylose and four strains from salicin. The strains isolated from mastitis did not have different biochemical properties from those isolated from a laboratory Norway rat with pneumonia. All strains of NVS were sensitive to chloramphenicol, ampicillin, gentamycin, lincomycin and cephalothin, four strains were sensitive to erythromycin and tyrosine, two to penicillin and one to streptomycin, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline and novobiocin. All strains were resistant to neomycin, tetracycline, oxacillin and sulphonamides. The antigen prepared from the isolated strains by the method of Fuller did not react with any streptococcal group serum A-Z.     

Pharmacokinetic changes of several antibiotics in chickens during induced fatty liver

The concentrations of five antibiotics (erythromycin, lincomycin, penicillin G, streptomycin and oxytetracycline) were determined in chicken serum before and after induced fatty liver. The pharmacokinetic variables were calculated according to the obtained data. The crossover trial design involved 10 chickens for each antibiotic. The fatty liver was produced by oestradiol-dipropionate injections and monitored by serum malic enzyme activity determinations. Protein binding of the respective antibiotics was determined in vitro in the serum obtained from normal and oestrogen-treated birds. Induction of fatty liver caused several changes in the determined variables. The measured peak concentrations were higher for lincomycin and erythromycin and lower for penicillin and oxytetracycline while streptomycin remained unchanged. The peak concentration of streptomycin appeared earlier and the peak of oxytetracycline later than in the normal chickens. The elimination half-lives were shorter for erythromycin, lincomycin and streptomycin and increased for penicillin and oxytetracycline. The area under the concentration curve (AUC) decreased for erythromycin, penicillin and streptomycin, increased for oxytetracycline and remained unchanged for lincomycin. The body clearance (ClB/f) and the apparent specific volume of distribution (Vd(area'/f) were considerably changed in association with fatty liver induction. Since the fraction of the drug absorbed (f) is not known, it can only be speculated that changes in distribution rather than reduced liver function altered the kinetics. The protein binding was decreased for all the antibiotics, but this did not seem to be the reason for changes in kinetics, except perhaps in the case of penicillin.     

云南地区牛源无乳链球菌分离鉴定及毒力基因和耐药性的检测

试验旨在研究无乳链球菌的生物学特性,为防治无乳链球菌引起的奶牛乳房炎提供理论依据。根据细菌分子生物学分离鉴定无乳链球菌,参考GenBank登录的牛源无乳链球菌16S rRNA、菌属特异性cfb （CAMP因子）、毒力基因和耐药基因序列,运用Oligo 6.0和Primer Premier 5.0软件设计14对引物,建立PCR快速检测方法,并进行20种常见抗生药物的耐药试验。结果显示,试验成功鉴定出17株牛源无乳链球菌,毒力基因与NCBI上已报道的无乳链球菌相应序列具有高度同源性,均≥99%;共检测到6种耐药基因;分离菌株对青霉素、红霉素、林可霉素、克林霉素、万古霉素、氨苄西林、新生霉素、磺胺异噁唑的耐药率均较高,耐药率依次为100.0%、94.1%、94.1%、94.1%、94.1%、82.3%、82.3%和47.1%,对青霉素严重耐药;而对氨基糖苷类、四环素类、头孢菌素类、喹诺酮类耐药率均较低,耐药率分别为15.7%、14.7%、7.7%和3.9%。本研究结果表明,建立的PCR快速检测方法灵敏可靠,云南地区无乳链球菌已对部分β-内酰胺类、大环内酯类、磺胺类等抗生素出现多重耐药性。     

Prevalence of coagulase-negative staphylococci in bovine mastitis in Zimbabwe

This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of coagulase-negative staphylococci in clinical and subclinical mastitis in commercial and small-scale farms in Zimbabwe. Thirty five quarter milk samples from clinical mastitis cases and 371 quarter milk samples from cows with subclinical mastitis were cultured for bacterial pathogens. The most frequent pathogens isolated in clinical mastitis were the enteric bacteria (31.4%), followed by coagulase negative staphylococci (22.9%) and then Staphylococcus aureus (17.1%), whereas in subclinical mastitis S. aureus (34.2%) and coagulase-negative staphylococci were (33.2%) the most common. Bacillus species were only isolated in milk samples from subclinical mastitis. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were observed in mixed infections with other bacteria in only 2.2 of the 406 milk samples from clinical and subclinical mastitis where they were isolated together with Bacillus species in 6 of the 9 mixed infection cases. About 95% of the milk samples from which 131 coagulase-negative staphylococci were isolated had correspondingly high somatic cell counts. The coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated most frequently were S. chromogenes (7.9%), S. epidermidis (7.4%) and S. hominis (5.9%). They were all associated with high somatic cell counts. All the coagulase-negative staphylococci isolates were susceptible to cloxacillin and erythromycin, and more than 90% of the isolates were susceptible to neomycin, penicillin and streptomycin. The highest resistance was to tetracycline (17.6%), followed by lincomycin (13.7%). About 8% of the isolates were resistant to both penicillin and streptomycin.     

Susceptibility of Clostridium perfringens of animal origin to fifteen antimicrobial agents

The minimal inhibitory concentrations of fifteen antibacterial agents were determined by agar-dilution method against 121 strains of Clostridium perfringens isolated from pigs, cattle and poultry. All strains, regardless of host of origin, were susceptible to avoparcin, furazolidone, monensin, nitrovin, penicillin G, ronidazole and tiamulin and resistant to flavomycin. Poultry strains were also susceptible to carbadox, chloramphenicol, erythromycin and virginiamycin. Bacitracin-resistant poultry strains were susceptible to all tested antibacterial agents except tetracycline, but the bacitracin-resistant cattle strains were polyresistant. Porcine strains were susceptible to bacitracin and bovine strains to carbadox. Carbadox-resistant porcine strains were resistant to erythromycin, lincomycin and tetracycline and susceptible to chloramphenicol. Resistance to erythromycin was associated with resistance to lincomycin. High level erythromycin-lincomycin-resistant strains were susceptible to virginiamycin, but the intermediate level erythromycin-lincomycin-resistant cattle strains were resistant to virginiamycin. Resistance to chloramphenicol or erythromycin-lincomycin was always associated with resistance to tetracycline but the reverse was not always true.     

Characterization of Streptococcus uberis with special consideration of supposed pathogenicity factors]

Streptococcus uberis, as one of the principal causes of bovine streptococcal mastitis, has been characterized serologically and biochemically. Serological grouping of S. uberis revealed polysaccharide antigens of groups E, G, P and U. The biochemical properties of S. uberis, determined with the Strep-Zym identification system, differed clearly from those of S. agalactiae and S. dysgalactiae. Some cultures of S. uberis produced the enzymes hyaluronidase and neuraminidase. In addition S. uberis partly demonstrated CAMP-like synergistic hemolytic activities on sheep blood agar, reacted specifically with the lectins from Helix pomatia and Dolichos biflorus and produced bacteriocin-like inhibitors. This reactions, possibly of importance as virulence factors, as well as "DNA-fingerprinting" of S. uberis, might serve as individual markers of the respective cultures in epidemiological studies.     

Rapid identification of bovine mastitis pathogens by high-resolution melt analysis of 16S rDNA sequences

Accurate identification of mastitis pathogens is often compromised when using conventional culture-based methods. Here, we report a novel, rapid assay tested for speciation of bacterial mastitis pathogens using high-resolution melt analysis (HRMA) of 16S rDNA sequences. Real-time PCR amplification of 16S rRNA gene fragment, spanning the variable region V5 and V6 was performed with a resulting amplicon of 290bp. First, a library was generated of melt curves of 9 common pathogens that are implicated in bovine mastitis. Six of the isolates, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus uberis, Staphylococcus aureus and Mycoplasma bovis, were type strains while the other 3, Arcanobacterium pyogenes, Corynebacterium bovis and Streptococcus dysgalactiae, were bovine mastitis field isolates. Four of the type strains, E. coli, S. agalactiae, K. pneumoniae and S. aureus, were found to be of human origin, while the other 3 type strains were isolated from bovine infections. Secondly, the melt curves and corresponding amplicon sequences of A. pyogenes, E. coli, S. agalactiae, S. dysgalactiae, K. pneumoniae, S. uberis and S. aureus were compared with 10 bovine mastitis field isolates of each pathogen. Based on the distinct differences in melt curves and sequences between human and bovine isolates of E. coli and K. pneumoniae, it was deemed necessary to select a set of bovine strains for these pathogens to be used as reference strains in the HRMA. Next, the HRMA was validated by three interpreters analyzing the differential clustering pattern of melt curves of 60 bacterial cultures obtained from mastitis milk samples. The three test interpreters were blinded to the culture and sequencing results of the isolates. Overall accuracy of the validation assay was 95% as there was difficulty in identifying the streptococci due to heterogeneity observed in the PCR amplicons of S. uberis. The present study revealed that broad-range real-time PCR with HRMA can be used as a powerful, fast and low-cost tool for the differentiation of clinically important bacterial mastitis pathogens.     

The major bovine mastitis pathogens have different cell tropisms in cultures of bovine mammary gland cells

We previously showed that Staphylococcus aureus cells adhered mainly to an elongated cell type, present in cultures of bovine mammary gland cells. Moreover, we showed that this adhesion was mediated by binding to fibronectin. The same in vitro model was used here, to study adhesion of other important mastitis pathogens. Like the S. aureus strains, the Streptococcus dysgalactiae strains adhered mainly to elongated cells, which seemed to be mediated by fibronectin binding. In contrast, Streptococcus uberis strains adhered mainly to cubic cells. Since the cubic cells did not express fibronectin and S. uberis cells bound fibronectin less efficiently, the adhesion of S. uberis cells was independent of fibronectin binding. Streptococcus agalactiae strains adhered poorly to both cell types. The specificity and efficiency of adhesion of Escherichia coli strains was strongly strain dependent. None of the S. agalactiae and E. coli strains tested was able to bind fibronectin efficiently. The results suggest that the different mastitis pathogens have different target cell specificities and use different mechanisms to adhere to cells of the bovine mammary gland.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of German Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis isolates by agar disk diffusion method

Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis is the causative agent of bovine genital campylobacteriosis and is transmitted by asymptomatic carrier bulls via contaminated semen during artificial insemination. The aim of the present study was to determine the in vitro susceptibility of Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis isolated from bovine specimens in the years from 2000 to 2009 in Germany to antibiotics generally used in semen treatment. The susceptibilities of 50 strains to spectinomycin (10 microg), gentamicin (10 microg), streptomycin (25 microg), penicillin (10 microg), lincomycin (10 microg), ciprofloxacin (5 microg), erythromycin (30 microg) and tetracycline (30 microg) were determined using a disk diffusion susceptibility test. All strains were susceptible to gentamicin. A considerably reduced susceptibility to one or more antimicrobial agents was detected in seven out of 50 isolates (14%) with the most frequent reduction in susceptibility to lincomycin and spectinomycin. Furthermore, strains with reduced susceptibility to more than one antimicrobial agent were always associated with reduced susceptibility to lincomycin. It is recommended to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis isolates in order to evaluate the efficacy of the generally used antibiotic treatment of bull semen and to detect possible resistances.     

Antibiotic susceptibility of methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from bovine mastitis

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility of methicillin-susceptible (MS) and methicillin-resistant (MR) coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) strains isolated from milk of cows with mastitis. The study was conducted on 100 CNS strains (20 MRCNS and 80 MSCNS) isolated from milk samples of 86 cows from the Lublin (Poland) region farms. Antibiotic susceptibility of microorganisms was evaluated using the disc-diffusion method on the Mueller-Hinton agar according to the guidelines of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). The highest efficacy against MSCNS was demonstrated for cephalosporin antibiotics, i.e. cefacetril (91.3%), ceftiofur (67.5%), cefoperazone (66.3%) and cephalexin (60.0% of susceptible MSCNS strains). Moreover, a high percentage of vancomycin-susceptible strains was demonstrated (83.8%). The activity of combination of amoxicillin with clavulanic acid and gentamicin was found weaker (63.8% and 61.3% of susceptible strains, respectively). About 50.0% of MSCNS were susceptible to erythromycin, enrofloxacine and amoxicillin. A large proportion of CNS was resistant to neomycin, penicillin, tetracycline, streptomycin, lincomycin and ampicillin (28.8%, 30.0%, 31.3%, 31.3%, 33.8% and 33.8% of susceptible strains, respectively). The highest percentage of MRCNS was susceptible to vancomycin (75.0%), erythromycin (65.0%) and streptomycin (50.0%). Their susceptibility to enrofloxacine (35.0%) as well as gentamicin and tetracycline (30.0%) was markedly lower. The lowest activity was found for lincomycin and neomycin (20.0% of susceptible MRCNS strains, each).     

Antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative staphylococci isolated from mastitis milk samples from sheep and goats

Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS) were isolated from ovine and caprine mastitis milk samples originating from more than 40 Swiss farms. CNS dominated as causal microorganisms of mastitis in small ruminants. By restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the groEL gene and sequencing of 16S rDNA, various CNS species were identified, albeit certain of them predominated. For susceptibility testing of mastitis pathogens to selected antibiotics, minimal inhibitory concentrations were determined. Of the 67 S. aureus and 208 CNS strains, 31.3 % and 8.2 % were resistant to penicillin, 29.9 % and 1.0 % to ampicillin, 1.5 % and 10.6 % to erythromycin, and 3.0 % and 7.7 % to tetracycline, respectively. Moreover, 10 CNS strains (4.8 %) were resistant to oxacillin and one CNS strain to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. The results obtained describe for the first time the resistance situation of mastitis pathogens from sheep and goats in Switzerland. However, accompanying and preventing measures are also of importance in mastitis control of small ruminants.