Variation in Daily Shedding Pattern of Staphylococcus aureus In Naturally Occurring Intramammary Infections

摘要

Estimates of the cost of mastitis have been calculated at 6% of the value of production; at 2007 prices that is upwards of 2.1 billion dollars.[5] In total, it is estimated that 70-80% of this loss is due to subclinical intramammary infections (IMI) caused by organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus (SA).[3] The control of SA is contingent on accurate diagnosis of IMI, yet there are no uniform diagnostic criteria for SA IMI. The goal of this study was to describe shedding patterns of naturally occurring SA infections over an extended period of time, and to provide a reasonable foundation upon which to determine appropriate diagnostic criteria for SA IMI.