The prophylactic effect of a dry-cow antibiotic against Streptococcus uberis

The prophylactic use of a dry-cow antibiotic for reducing the incidence of mastitis due to Streptococcus uberis was studied in four seasonally calving dairy herds involving 378 cows. The treatment was a long-acting dry-cow antibiotic preparation administered immediately after the last milking of lactation. New intramammary infections were identified by comparing the bacteriological status of quarters at drying off with that after calving, or through manual udder palpation during the dry period. The administration of dry-cow antibiotic to uninfected quarters at drying off reduced the overall incidence of new infections with Streptococcus uberis from 12.3% for untreated quarters to 1.2% of quarters (p<0.01). The reduction was significant (p<0.01) for both dry-period and post-calving infections. The susceptibility of uninfected quarters to new infection by Streptococcus uberis appeared to be unrelated to the infection status of a cow at drying off. Clinical infections during the dry period were most prevalent (97%) in quarters identified as having open teat canals. Fewer open teat canals (p<0.05) were observed among antibiotic treated quarters over the first 4 weeks of the dry period. Treated quarters had a lower (p<0.05) incidence of new clinical infection during the ensuing lactation and lower somatic cell counts. This did not affect production levels of milk, milk fat or protein. The results clearly indicated a prophylactic benefit for the dry cow antibiotic treatment against new Streptococcus uberis infections during the dry period.     

链球菌GapC蛋白的表达及其多克隆抗血清的制备

本研究对乳房链球菌GapC蛋白基因进行了克隆、重组表达、蛋白纯化和免疫原性试验。应用PCR技术直接从临床分离的乳房链球菌菌株基因组中扩增出GapC蛋白基因,并将其克隆至pET28a（＋）上,转化大肠杆菌BL21（DE3）中表达。经DNA序列测定分析,扩增出的基因与GenBank发表的乳房链球菌GapC基因序列AF421900的同源性为99．8％。氨基酸同源性为100％;与GenBank发表的无乳链球菌GapC基因序列AF421899的同源性为91．4％;与停乳链球菌GapC基因序列AF375662的同源性为88．9％。表达的融合蛋白通过MagneHis^TM蛋白纯化试剂盒纯化,纯化蛋白免疫小鼠3次,制备GapC抗血清。本研究表达和纯化了乳房链球菌GapC蛋白,并制备出鼠抗血清,为下一步开展GapC重组蛋白的应用研究莫定了基础。     

Protective effect of previous intramammary infection with Streptococcus uberis against subsequent clinical mastitis in the cow

Following challenge of 23 quarters of 17 lactating cows with 10(3) colony forming units of Streptococcus uberis 0140J, 20 (87 per cent) developed clinical mastitis. Once the disease had resolved each animal was rechallenged in two quarters, one previously challenged and one additional quarter. Of the 34 secondary quarter challenges 11 (32.2 per cent) led to clinical mastitis, a highly significant reduction over the primary challenges.     

Reinfection of bovine mammary glands following dry-cow antibiotic therapy

Dry-cow antibiotic therapy (DCT) was administered to quarters with Staphylococcus aureus or streptococcal infections and the quarters were closely monitored for the presence of new or reactivated mammary infections throughout the dry period and the following lactation. Strains of S. aureus were characterized using a selection of biotyping tests to allow a comparison of S. aureus strains isolated before and after DCT. Cows with 3-4 quarters infected prior to DCT had a high susceptibility to reinfection in the following year. In contrast, for cows with 1-2 quarters infected prior to DCT and for heifers with no previous history of infection, the susceptibility to reinfection or new infection was very low. The majority of the S. aureus infections appearing in the lactation following DCT were due to S. aureus strains which differed from strains isolated prior to DCT, suggesting that these were new infections. Histopathological examination of quarters which had had recurrent S. aureus infections revealed lesions typical of chronic S. aureus mastitis, including extensive lobular fibrosis and atrophy.     

Epidemiology of Streptococcus uberis Intramammary Infections in a Dairy Herd

From 1987 to 1991, almost 36 000 quarter samples of mammary secretion representing 1790 lactations of 510 dairy cows from a research herd were collected for bacteriological examination. The percentage of cows infected with Streptococcus uberis ranged from 12 to 16 % of cows/year. S. uberis was isolated from 14.2 % of lactations over the 5-year period. The prevalence of S. uberis intramammary infection (IMI) was significantly higher in cows with ≥4 lactations than in cows with 3 or fewer lactations. Regardless of lactation number, the prevalence of S. uberis was highest before parturition, during early lactation and near drying off. The prevalence of S. uberis infected quarters ranged from 1.3 to 2.3 % of quarters/year; the prevalence rate for the 5-year period was 2 % of quarters. The quarter prevalence of S. uberis was lowest in cows with ≤3 lactations, increased significantly with lactation number and was highest in cows with ≥6 lactations. The percentage of quarters infected with S. uberis varied significantly by year. The majority (95 %) of S. uberis IMI were subclinical. The ratio of subclinical IMI to clinical IMI was lowest during early lactation, and increased with days in milk, and with lactation age except for cows in their 5th and 6th lactations. Results of this epidemiological investigation suggest that opportunities exist where suitable control measures could be applied to reduce the impact of S. uberis infections in the dairy herd.     

Epidemiology of Streptococcus uberis intramammary infections in a dairy herd.

From 1987 to 1991, almost 36,000 quarter samples of mammary secretion representing 1790 lactations of 510 dairy cows from a research herd were collected for bacteriological examination. The percentage of cows infected with Streptococcus uberis ranged from 12 to 16% of cows/year. S. uberis was isolated from 14.2% of lactations over the 5-year period. The prevalence of S. uberis intramammary infection (IMI) was significantly higher in cows with > or = 4 lactations than in cows with 3 or fewer lactations. Regardless of lactation number, the prevalence of S. uberis was highest before parturition, during early lactation and near drying off. The prevalence of S. uberis infected quarters ranged from 1.3 to 2.3% of quarters/year; the prevalence rate for the 5-year period was 2% of quarters. The quarter prevalence of S. uberis was lowest in cows with < or = 3 lactations, increased significantly with lactation number and was highest in cows with > or = 6 lactations. The percentage of quarters infected with S. uberis varied significantly by year. The majority (95%) of S. uberis IMI were subclinical. The ratio of subclinical IMI to clinical IMI was lowest during early lactation, and increased with days in milk, and with lactation age except for cows in their 5th and 6th lactations. Results of this epidemiological investigation suggest that opportunities exist where suitable control measures could be applied to reduce the impact of S. uberis infections in the dairy herd.     

Biochemical and serological properties of Streptococcus uberis.

The Strep-Zym identification system, a combination of 23 enzymatic tests, allowed a rapid biochemical characterization of Streptococcus uberis. The biochemical profiles of the S. uberis cultures clearly differed from those of S. agalactiae and S. dysgalactiae. Serological grouping of S. uberis revealed polysaccharide antigens of groups E, G, P and U. Some cultures of S. uberis demonstrated CAMP-like synergistic hemolytic activities on sheep blood agar and reacted specifically with the lectins of Helix pomatia and Dolichos biflorus. The occurrence of group polysaccharides, CAMP-like reactivities, and the lectin agglutination reactions were obviously not related to each other or to any of the biochemical properties. These reactions, possibly of importance as virulence factors, might serve as epidemiological markers.     

Molecular characterization of Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus uberis isolates from bovine milk

Streptococci are one among the major mastitis pathogens which have a considerable impact on cow health, milk quality, and productivity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence and virulence characteristics of streptococci from bovine milk and to assess the molecular epidemiology and population structure of the Indian isolates using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Out of a total of 209 bovine composite milk samples screened from four herds (A–D), 30 Streptococcus spp. were isolated from 29 milk samples. Among the 30 isolates, species-specific PCR and partial 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis identified 17 Streptococcus agalactiae arising from herd A and 13 Streptococcus uberis comprising of 5, 7, and 1 isolates from herds B, C, and D respectively. PCR based screening for virulence genes revealed the presence of the cfb and the pavA genes in 17 and 1 S. agalactiae isolates, respectively. Similarly, in S. uberis isolates, cfu gene was present in six isolates from herd C, the pau A/skc gene in all the isolates from herds B, C, and D, whereas the sua gene was present in four isolates from herd B and the only isolate from herd D. On MLST analysis, all the S. agalactiae isolates were found to be of a novel sequence type (ST), ST-483, reported for the first time and is a single locus variant of the predicted subgroup founder ST-310, while the S. uberis isolates were found to be of three novel sequence types, namely ST-439, ST-474, and ST-475, all reported for the first time. ST-474 was a double locus variant of three different STs of global clonal complex ST-143 considered to be associated with clinical and subclinical mastitis, but ST-439 and ST-475 were singletons. Unique sequence types identified for both S. agalactiae and S. uberis were found to be herd specific. On PFGE analysis, identical or closely related restriction patterns for S. agalactiae ST-483 and S. uberis ST-439 in herds A and B respectively, but an unrelated restriction pattern for S. uberis ST-474 and ST-475 isolates from herds D and C respectively, were obtained. This signifies that the isolates of particular ST may exhibit related PFGE patterns suggesting detection of a faster molecular clock by PFGE than MLST. Since all the isolates of both the species belonged to novel sequence types, their epidemiological significance in global context could not be ascertained, however, evidence suggests that they have uniquely evolved in Indian conditions. Further research would be useful for understanding the role of these pathogens in bovine sub-clinical mastitis and implementing effective control strategies in India.     

Comparative efficacy of dry-cow treatment regimens against Staphylococcus aureus

Four dry-cow treatment regimens were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus intramammary infections: 1) high persistency product at drying off and low persistency product 1 to 3 days prepartum; 2) high persistency product at drying off; 3) low persistency product 1 to 3 days prepartum; 4) untreated controls. Treatment 1 was no more efficacious (64.4%) than Treatment 2 (61.3%). Both treatments were significantly different from spontaneous recovery observed in Treatment 4 (41.2%), but not significantly different from Treatment 3 (46.9%). Dry-cow therapy reduced new S. aureus intramammary infections during the dry period by half. Prepartum treatment eliminated more than 90% of new Streptococcus uberis infections.     

Characterization of a bacteriophage lysin (Ply700) from Streptococcus uberis

The antibacterial properties of bacteriophage lytic enzymes may be of importance in future mastitis control programs. A prophage was isolated from a strain of Streptococcus uberis (ATCC 700407) following exposure to mitomycin C. Partial sequencing of the phage DNA revealed a putative lysin based on sequence similarity to other streptococcal phage lysins. The putative lysin (Ply700) was recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli, and chromatographically purified. Addition of the purified Ply700 to bacterial suspensions of S. uberis, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Streptococcus dysgalactiae caused a rapid, calcium-dependent lysis while there was little activity against Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus, or E. coli. Killing of S. uberis in milk by Ply700 (50 microg/ml) was confirmed by plate count assay. Activity was related to the initial concentration of bacteria in that 31% killing (P<0.05) was observed with an inoculating dose of approximately 4500 cfu/ml, while 81% killing (P<0.01) was observed when the inoculum was reduced to approximately 600 cfu/ml. In contrast, complete sterilization was observed in parallel cultures suspended in assay buffer indicating that factors in milk are able to neutralize the lysin. Functional characterization of the C-terminal domain, as a component of a GFP fusion protein, revealed its calcium-dependent ability to bind to S. uberis. The C-terminal domain may have utility in targeting S. uberis while it remains to be determined if the lysin by itself has sufficient potency in milk for effective use in the control of S. uberis mastitis.     

Ribotyping of Streptococcus uberis from a dairy's environment, bovine feces and milk

Streptococcus uberis is a major cause of bovine mastitis and infections commonly result from environmental exposure to the pathogen. To identify specific sources of mastitis-causing S. uberis strains, samples were collected monthly from the environment and feces of dry cows in a grazing herd. Environmental and fecal strains of S. uberis were compared to those found in milk. S. uberis was detected in 63% of 94 environmental samples, including water, soil, plant matter, bedding material, flies, and hay, in 23% of 107 fecal samples, and in 4% of 787 milk samples. Automated PvuII ribotyping revealed 48 ribotypes among 266 isolates. Per sample, up to five ribotypes were detected. The distribution of ribotypes did not differ significantly among environmental, fecal and milk samples. Specific environmental sources or strains of udder-pathogenic S. uberis were not identified. Fecal shedding was not persistent and did not differ between dry-off and calving. The proportion of fecal samples containing S. uberis was highest during the summer grazing season. S. uberis was common in farm soil (31 of 35 samples) but not in non-farm soil (0 of 11 samples). We hypothesize that fecal shedding of S. uberis may play a role in maintenance of S. uberis populations in the dairy ecosystem.     

Comparative efficacy of three dry-cow antibiotic formulations in spring-calving New Zealand dairy cows

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of a dry-cow antibiotic preparation containing cloxacillin plus ampicillin in a formulation that gives a 10-week duration of action, in comparison to products containing cephalonium (10-week action) or cloxacillin alone (7-week action). METHODS: A total of 493 cows were selected from 6 spring-calving dairy herds in the Manawatu region of New Zealand, according to the criteria of the SAMM plan, to receive intramammary antibiotic therapy at the end of lactation (drying off). Cows were randomly allocated to receive 1 of the 3 dry-cow antibiotic products under investigation. Cows were examined twice during the dry period and twice daily during the first 10 days of their subsequent lactation for the presence of mastitis. Milk samples were collected from individual quarters at the time of drying off and at 7 and 28-35 days after calving, for determination of milk somatic cell counts (SCC). Bacteriology was carried out on milk samples taken from cows that developed mastitis during the first 10 days after calving. RESULTS: No cows developed mastitis during the dry period. Sixteen cows developed clinical mastitis within 10 days of calving; there was no difference in incidence between treatments. Streptococcus uberis was the most commonly isolated organism. Mean SCC on Day 7 were lower (p = 0.019) in cephalonium-treated quarters (189.9+/-28.4 x 10(3) cells/ml) than in cloxacillin-treated quarters (388.7+/-71.2 x 10(3) cells/ml); values in quarters receiving cloxacillin plus ampicillin were intermediate (252.0+/-47.0 x 10(3) cells/ml). SCC were similar between treatment groups on Day 28-35. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a combination of cloxacillin plus ampicillin was effective for the prevention of mastitis during the dry and peri-calving-periods in pastured dairy cattle.     

乳房链球菌对克林霉素耐药基因的定位

采用试管稀释法和纸片法测定9株乳房链球菌对克林霉素的耐药性，通过PCR反应检测克林霉素的耐药性基因，并进行测序比较。发现克林霉素对乳房链球菌的抗菌活力较强，克林霉素耐药基因同时存在于乳房链球菌的染色体和质粒上。     

奶牛乳房炎性乳房链球菌GapC重组蛋白的免疫保护性研究

为研究奶牛乳房炎性乳房链球菌GapC蛋白的免疫保护性,本研究采用纯化后的GapC重组蛋白与免疫佐剂乳化后制备疫苗,免疫家兔后采用间接ELISA法检测抗体效价,并以小鼠为实验动物进行攻毒试验.结果显示,抗体效价高达1:128 000,GapC蛋白免疫组对乳房链球菌的保护率较高,达70％,而全菌体免疫组的保护率仅为30％,表明GapC蛋白具有很高的免疫原性,为奶牛乳房炎的预防控制和进一步研究有效疫苗提供实验依据.     

Bactericidal activity of macrophages against Streptococcus uberis is different in mammary gland secretions of lactating and drying off cows

The aim of this study was to compare the ability of milk macrophages and macrophages from the mammary gland secretions during the mid-dry period for their interaction with the mastitis-causing Streptococcus uberis. We also aimed to determine if S. uberis induced the release of the cytokine tumour necrosis alpha (TNF-alpha) and the bactericidal moiety nitric oxide (NO) from milk macrophages of lactating cows and macrophages from the mammary gland secretions at the mid-dry period. Macrophages were isolated from the mammary gland secretions of cows during the mid-lactation or mid-dry period, and compared with blood monocytes for their interaction with the important mastitis-causing pathogen S. uberis. When infected in vitro with S. uberis, milk macrophages from lactating cows with S. uberis released modest amounts of the cytokine tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) (139 pg/ml) and the bactericidal moiety nitric oxide (NO) (3-4 microM of nitrite). Blood monocytes from lactating cows released significantly higher amounts of TNF-alpha (345 +/- 143 pg/ml) and NO (7 +/- 2 microM of nitrite) after interaction with S. uberis, compared to milk macrophages (P < 0.01 for both TNF-alpha and NO). Stimulation of blood monocytes with the cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) enhanced significantly the release of NO and TNF-alpha, but IFN-gamma did not significantly enhance the production of NO and TNF-alpha by milk macrophages from lactating cows. Milk macrophages from all lactating cows failed to kill S. uberis efficiently, and this lack of killing was unaffected by prior treatment with gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) (P > 0.05). Rather, S. uberis multiplied significantly inside infected milk macrophages from lactating cows, with a two-fold increase in bacterial numbers at 2 h post-infection. Milk macrophages from lactating cows were able however, to kill a significant proportion (50-60%, P < 0.01) of phagocytosed Staphylococcus aureus. Blood monocytes from all cows were found to exert significant bactericidal activity against S. uberis. There were no significant differences in the bactericidal activity of milk macrophages obtained from lactating cows with low somatic cell counts (SCC; < 10(5) ml(-1)) compared with those with a mildly elevated SCC (> 10(5) ml(-1)) (P > 0.05). In contrast, mammary gland secretion macrophages isolated from the same cows in the mid-dry period killed a significant proportion of phagocytosed S. uberis (50-65% of ingested S. uberis killed, P < 0.01) although cytokine production in response to in vitro bacterial infection was low. We conclude that the bactericidal activity of mammary gland secretion macrophages against a virulent strain of S. uberis is low during the lactation period. In addition, our data indicate that S. uberis is not a strong inducer of NO and TNF-alpha in macrophages from the milk or mammary gland secretions of cows during the drying off period. Finally, IFN-gamma does not activate milk macrophages or macrophages from cows during the lactating period or mammary gland secretions during the drying off period.     

乳房链球菌GAPC基因的克隆及原核表达

为了重组表达乳房链球菌表面脱氢酶GAPC基因,为免疫学研究提供目标蛋白,用PCR方法从石河子分离株的基因组DNA中扩增出GAPC基因,用T/A克隆法将其插入PBST载体,并构建原核表达载体pET-32a（＋）-GAPC。用BL21（DE3）/pET系统表达Trix-GAPC融合蛋白,SDS-PAGE和Western blot分析鉴定表达产物。结果表明,PCR扩增产物经测序,证实与GenBank中乳房链球菌（AF421900.1）GAPC的基因序列同源性为99%。SDS-PAGE显示,经IPTG诱导后BL21（DE3）/pET-32a（＋）-GAP总蛋白中出现一条分子质量为55ku的新蛋白带。Western blot分析显示,GAPC蛋白可与乳房链球菌多克隆抗血清发生特异性反应。该研究已成功表达了GAPC,为GAPC在细菌致病中作用的研究以及相关疫苗的制备奠定了基础。     

乳房链球菌多位点序列分型和遗传进化特征分析

为探究中国不同地区来源的乳房链球菌（Streptococcus uberis,S.uberis）之间的多样性和遗传进化关系,本研究以部分地区分离到的38株乳房链球菌为研究对象,通过对其最小抑菌浓度（minimun inhibitory concentration,MIC）测定和全基因组框架测序,获取38株菌耐药性、耐药基因及毒力基因等相关信息;通过多位点序列分型技术（multilocus sequence typing,MLST）分析了7个管家基因的等位基因谱、序列型（sequence type,ST）和克隆复合体（clonal complexes,CCs）,并构建系统进化树。MIC试验共采用15种抗生素,除头孢噻呋和氟苯尼考外,38株乳房链球菌对其中13种抗生素具有不同程度耐药,且江苏地区的耐药性明显强于新疆地区;耐药和毒力基因比对后发现,仅24株菌携带耐药基因,剩余14株则不携带耐药基因且属新疆地区分离株,与MIC试验结果相符;15种毒力基因中,除cfu、hasA/B和lbp外,余下12种毒力基因的携带率均高达100%。MLST结果表明,38株乳房链球菌共属于17个ST型,其中有15个ST型从未报道,仅supan01 1株菌属于ST-5 CCs。进化树结果揭示,38株分离株之间的亲缘性较远,分布呈地区依赖性,且中国部分地区当前流行的乳房链球菌与西方国家流行的菌株差异较大。本研究丰富了乳房链球菌的MLST分型数据库,为了解中国乳房链球菌遗传特性和分布特点提供了参考依据。     

The exploitation of the genome in the search for determinants of virulence in Streptococcus uberis

Despite much success in the control of mastitis in dairy cattle, intramammary infection with Streptococcus uberis remains a threat to herd health. This organism is a frequent cause of mastitis worldwide. Recent advances in the ability to genetically manipulate this bacterium, coupled to the determination of a representative genome sequence have already enabled the investigation of certain aspects of disease pathogenesis. Further use of such technology coupled to reliable models of disease and post-genomic analysis will permit the elucidation of further interactions between pathogen and host. This additional information can be usefully targeted at identification of candidates for inclusion in effective vaccines. This communication reviews the current, reported progress using this technology for S. uberis.