Greetings from I & A lab! I know its been a long time since our last
bulletin, but we've been hard at work brainstorming and developing new
tests that can be very beneficial to your dairy. These tests along with
this bulletin are about Mastitis caused by Mycoplasma, Staphylococcus,
and Streptococcus organisms. I hope you find it interesting and informative.
Mycoplasma,
Staphylococcus and Streptococcus - Do you know what Mycoplasma,
Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus all have in common? ALL three of them
are capable of causing mastitis in cattle! Can you tell me what makes
them different from each other? Well, it's the treatment. Mastitis caused
by Mycoplasma requires different treatment than mastitis caused by Staph
or Strep. This is very important if you think that your herd might have
a mastitis infection. It is important because improper treatment will
have NO effect on the infection.
Mycoplasma
- Now, let me tell you a little more about the smallest known organism
able to survive extracellularly. Mycoplasmas are very small, pleomorphic
(able to change shape) organisms that lack a cell wall. The absence of
a cell wall is a very important and distinguishing characteristic of these
organisms. Due to their lack of a cell wall, Mycoplasma species are resistant
to penicillin. Now, most dairymen are familiar with penicillin. Penicillin
is a common antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections such as mastitis
caused by Staphylococcus or Streptococcus. It is effective against these
and many other bacteria because of the thick cell wall of the bacteria.
Penicillin interferes with the formation of the cell wall thereby destroying
the bacteria. Now, remember I just told you that Mycoplasma have NO cell
wall? Good, I'm glad you are right on track. So, if penicillin interferes
with cell wall synthesis and Mycoplasma have no cell walls, what do you
think will happen if penicillin is administered for a mastitis infection
caused by Mycoplasma? If you guessed "nothing", you are correct.
Nothing happens!! Absolutely nothing will happen because the penicillin
has no effect on Mycoplasma!
This is why it is extremely important to distinguish a mastitis infection
caused by Mycoplasma from an infection caused by Staph or Strep and guess
what? That is where, we, Microbiologists and Lab Technicians come to rescue
you. We have developed a series of tests to determine whether you have
a mastitis infection caused by Mycoplasma or caused by Staph or Strep.
We are very excited about our new accomplishments and wanted to share
our news with you. If you suspect your herd to have a mastitis infection
or if you have high somatic cells, I strongly urge you to have your milk
tested.
Allow me to briefly
explain our tests to you. First, we will plate a sample of raw milk onto
Mycoplasma medium. Growth on this medium means your cattle have an infection
caused by Mycoplasma. Results for this test may take up to 7 days due
to the slow growth rate of the organism. Second, we will plate a sample
onto Staphylococcus medium. Growth is usually observed in 24 hours. Therefore,
results may be obtained in one day. Third, we plate a sample onto Streptococcus
medium. Growth is also observed in 24 hours and results may be obtained
within one day as well.
It is important to
note that if the Streptococcus and the Staphylococcus test results are
negative, this does not necessarily indicate that the Mycoplasma test
will be positive. For example, older cattle have high somatic cell counts
and they do not have mastitis.
If the results of the Staph and Strep test are positive, treatment with
penicillin will be effective and the problem will be solved. However,
if Mycoplasma is positive, penicillin will not be effective. It is important
for you to consult with your veterinarian about proper treatment with
other antibiotics.
If you have any questions
about Mycoplasma or mastitis, please feel free to call and we will be
happy to assist you as best we can!
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