Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Staphylococcus aureus in Bulk Tanks in Caldas and Risaralda, Colombia

摘要

Bovine mastitis is the most common and costly infectious disease affecting dairies, milk yield, and quality (Keefe, 2012). Staphylococcus aureus is a mastitis-causing pathogen, causing a low-grade, persistent type of infection, typically subclinical,characterized by high somatic cell count (SCC) that does not have a high self-cure rate. S. aureus is a contagious pathogen; however, it is commonly found on bovine and human skin, equipment, air, and contaminated fomite (Zadoks et al., 2002). As a result, the transmission risk during milking is high, bringing important economic losses to the dairy industry (Huijps et al., 2008). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of S. aureus in bulk tank milk and its association with farm-level risk factors.