Feeding Milk Containing Staphylococcus aureus to Calves

Abstract

Newborn calves from dams free of staphyloccocal udder infection were assigned to treatment groups in two experiments. Following colostrum feeding for 2 days, a culture of Staphylococcus aureus was added to pasteurized milk fed to one group twice weekly for a total of nine feedings. A control group received only pasteurized milk. Bull calves were in a short experiment to determine whether the organism was established in body tissues, and a second experiment was to determine the effect on incidence of mastitis at calving. No staphylococcus aureus was isolated from any body tissue or surfaces of bull calves necropsied at about 7 wk of age. Moreover, there was no difference in incidence of staphylococcal udder infection at first calving between heifers exposed to the organism as calves and controls. There appears little reason for concern about detrimental effects of feeding mastitic milk to calves under conditions where they are maintained in individual pens.

Management factors affecting udder health and effects of a one year extension program in organic dairy herds

“…Another possible explanation is that farms with poorer udder health use to feed more infected milk to their calves in order to avoid discarding of milk. Although there are no investigations demonstrating a correlation between feeding milk pathogens and later infections after the first birth, some studies show indirectly that this calf feeding practice can result in a higher mastitis risk of primiparous cows (Barto et al, 1982;Roberson et al, 1994 andBarkema et al, 1998). Further investigations are necessary to study this correlation in order to find causal relationships.…”

“…Feeding of the young stock influences their udder health as primiparous cows (Svensson et al, 2006). It is still controversial whether giving infected milk to calves plays a role in the development of subsequent persistent infections in these heifers after parturition (Barto et al, 1982). Herds where calves were fed with milk bearing high somatic cell counts (SCC) had a higher risk of high bulk milk somatic cell counts (BMSCC) (Barkema et al, 1998).…”

Effect of preweaning feeding of pasteurized and nonpasteurized milk on postweaning weight gain of heifer calves on a Californian dairy

“…Although several studies had examined the effects of previous exposure to waste milk on postweaning performance, they were focused mainly on examining an association between feeding of waste milk during calfhood and develop-ment of mastitis at first milking (Schalm, 1942). Recent studies have shown no association between feeding waste milk to preweaned heifers and subsequent incidence of subclinical mastitis (caused by Srreptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus uureus) (Barto et al, 1982;Roberson et al, 1990).…”

Feeding mastitis milk to organic dairy calves: effect on health and performance during suckling and on udder health at first calving

“…This hypothesis was already tested in different studies with conflicting results [17][18][19][20]. Schalm [17] concluded from his trials that udder infections with Streptococcus agalactiae (S. agalactiae) were transmitted via suckling among pen mates after consuming infectious milk.…”

“…Another study was performed on feeding milk inoculated with S. aureus. After first parturition, two out of 29 heifers from the treatment group and 6 out of 35 control heifers were affected with S. aureus mastitis [20].…”