Staphylococcus Aureus Mastitis: What We Need to Know to Control Them

INTRODUCTION Among bacteria causing mastitis, only Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycoplasma species, and Corynebacterium bovis are considered as fully contagious. Among these, S.aureus, is currently the most frequently isolated contagious pathogen in subclinical and chronic bovine mastitis worldwide (1). The reasons for the large spread of S.aureus intramammary infections (IMI) worldwide are obviously related to bacteria characteristics, but also to a general misunderstanding of the epidemiology of S.aureus IMI, leading to inefficient control measures. The description of all the factors involved in S.aureus IMI should include many different aspects, and it is not possible to cover all of them in a single review. Therefore, in this paper we reviewed the main information useful to develop control programs for S.aureus IMI under field conditions and it is focused on the following topics: diagnosis, major risk factors, therapy, vaccination and control methods.