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Outbreak of subclinical mastitis in a flock of dairy goats associated with atypical Staphylococcus haemolyticus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 October 2008

Gabriel Leitner ,
Shlom Sela ,
Orly Hammer-Muntz ,
Doni Zivotofsky ,
Limor Weisblit ,
Marcelo Chaffer  and
Shmuel Zamir
Gabriel Leitner*
Affiliation:
National Mastitis Center, Kimron Veterinary Institute, PO Box 12, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Shlom Sela
Affiliation:
Microbial Food-Safety Research Unit, Department of Food Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, PO Box 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Orly Hammer-Muntz
Affiliation:
Microbial Food-Safety Research Unit, Department of Food Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, PO Box 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Doni Zivotofsky
Affiliation:
Clinical Veterinarian, Jerusalem, Israel
Limor Weisblit
Affiliation:
National Mastitis Center, Kimron Veterinary Institute, PO Box 12, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Marcelo Chaffer
Affiliation:
Bacteriology Division, Kimron Veterinary Institute, PO Box 12, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Shmuel Zamir
Affiliation:
Chief Sheep and Goat Health Officer, The Israeli Veterinary Services and Animal Health, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
*
*For correspondence; e-mail: leitnerg@moag.gov.il
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Abstract

Staphylococcus haemolyticus is a pathogen frequently isolated from dairy cows and small ruminants. However, it always appears in only a few animals and not as a major pathogen. Recently, in a dairy goat herd of approximately 250 milking animals, 25·6% (46/180 goats) had milk cultures with atypical highly mucoid colonies accompanied by elevated somatic cell counts. The isolates were identified as Staph. haemolyticus. The present study describes the steps used in an attempt to identify the bacterium and to compare it with other coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) including Staph. haemolyticus. Species identification performed with the API STAPH-IDENT 32 kit showed >99·4% identity confirmed by 16S rDNA sequencing tests. Microscopically the atypical Staph. haemolyticus strains showed unique cuboidal tetrad clusters reminiscent of those of the genus Sarcina. The outbreak caused by an atypical CNS underlines the need for accurate biochemical and genetic methods for ultimate identification of CNS to the species level.

Keywords

Staphylococcus haemolyticusmastitisgoat
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 76 , Issue 1 , February 2009 , pp. 1 - 5
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 2008

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