Mastitis in mink due to Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli

An epizootic of mastitis in mink due to Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli associated with food poisoning was studied on a Connecticut ranch with 3,500 mink. In the course of the epizootic, approximately 2,000 mink kits and 480 adult mink, mostly nursing females, died within 10 days. Affected females had swollen mammary glands due to acute mastitis; S. aureus was isolated in pure culture from 2 mink and E. coli in pure culture from a 3rd. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from the organs of 1 mink kit, S. aureus and E. coli from a 2nd kit, and E. coli from a 3rd. The organs of the remaining 7 kits examined did not contain bacteria. Both isolates were pathogenic when inoculated intraperitoneally into mice and mink, causing fatal septicemia within 16 to 24 hours. The meat from a septicemic bovine carcass fed prior to the epizootic was considered a possible source of infection, since it was found to be heavily contaminated with E. coli, S. aureus, and Streptococcus spp.