Association of Housing Environment and Staphylococcal Species Isolatedfrom Teat Skin of Dairy Cattle

摘要

Teat skin colonization has been found to be a risk factor for staphylococcal mastitis in dairy cattle. The purpose of this study was to determine whether dairy cattle housing types were associated with staphylococcal populations found on teat skin before and after pre-milking teat preparation procedures. The hypothesis was that the prevalence and distribution of staphylococcal species would differ between samples collected from farms utilizing sand bedded free-stall housing and farms utilizing compost bedded pack housing.