Search

This article deals with two kinds of staphylococci that cause mastitis: Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci. The source of infection, the ease of laboratory identification, and the practices used to manage clinical and subclinical mastitis for these two staphylococcal categories makes this a convenient separation.

Identifying specific groups of mastitis pathogens by their growth on selective agars can help identify the pathogens that are present in mastitic milk samples. This article addresses issues that are essential in making good use of diagnostic procedures to improve udder health on dairies.

Procedures for mastitis diagnosis and control include culturing individual cow and bulk tank milk samples, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and evaluation of somatic cell count reports and clinical mastitis treatment records. Integrated use of such procedures is necessary for effective mastitis diagnosis and control.