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Meroni G, Sora V, Zaghen F, Laterza G, Martino PA, Zecconi A. Innovative Elastomers with Antimicrobial Activity May Decrease Infection Risks during Milking. Pathogens 2023; 12:1431. [PMID: 38133314 PMCID: PMC10747183 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12121431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Contagious pathogens are very costly to dairy herds, and they may have zoonotic and reverse-zoonotic potentials and may contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance. One of the most important risk factors for spreading these infections is milking, when liner contamination may transfer the pathogens from infected to healthy cows. There is no effective protocol to prevent the transmission of infection without the segregation of infected cows. Recently, the availability of elastomers with patented antimicrobial components in their formulations has allowed the exploration of alternative methods to reduce the risk of infection. Two different types of elastomers (rubber and silicone) and nine different formulations were challenged with three major mastitis pathogens (S. aureus, S. agalactiae, and E. coli). The results that were obtained in this study were interesting and unexpected. Indeed, to our knowledge, this is the first study to show that basic rubber materials have intrinsic antimicrobial activity. Silicone elastomers did not exhibit the same levels of bactericidal activity, although they did exhibit some antibacterial capacity. A significant decrease in bacterial survival curves was observed for all the formulations tested when antimicrobial components were added. The different results observed for the various products are likely due to the different formulations and diverse manufacturing processes. The availability of these new materials that significantly reduce the bacterial load on the liner surface may reduce the risk of spreading intramammary infections during milking. This would be an important step forward in achieving global sustainability of dairy herds, consistent with the objectives of One Health, by reducing the risks of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Meroni
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (V.S.); (F.Z.); (G.L.); (P.A.M.)
| | - Valerio Sora
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (V.S.); (F.Z.); (G.L.); (P.A.M.)
- Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Celoria 22, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Zaghen
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (V.S.); (F.Z.); (G.L.); (P.A.M.)
- Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Celoria 22, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Laterza
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (V.S.); (F.Z.); (G.L.); (P.A.M.)
- Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Celoria 22, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Piera Anna Martino
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (V.S.); (F.Z.); (G.L.); (P.A.M.)
| | - Alfonso Zecconi
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (V.S.); (F.Z.); (G.L.); (P.A.M.)
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Tamba M, Rocca R, Prosperi A, Pupillo G, Bassi P, Galletti G, Martini E, Santi A, Casadei G, Arrigoni N. Evaluation of Control Program Against Streptococcus agalactiae Infection in Dairy Herds During 2019–2021 in Emilia-Romagna Region, Northern Italy. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:904527. [PMID: 35812887 PMCID: PMC9261462 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.904527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus agalactiae (group B Streptococcus, GBS) is a causative agent of mastitis in dairy cattle, mainly causing a subclinical disease associated with a high somatic cell count (SCC), and a consequent decrease in production yield and quality of milk. GBS has been almost eradicated in many Northern European countries, but there are warnings of its re-emergence as a zoonotic threat. In Italy, only two regions carry out a GBS control program: Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. In Emilia-Romagna, the program has been in place since 2019 and provides for the bacteriological culture of bulk-tank milk (BTM) of all dairy farms every 6 months and the voluntary application of herd eradication programs in the case of positive results. To assess the progress of the program in Emilia Romagna, in terms of herd-level prevalence and GBS transmission between herds, we analyzed the results of 17,056 BTM cultures from 2,831 dairy herds, sampled bi-annually in the period 2019–2021 (six rounds total). The impact of GBS infection on SCC and milk production was also evaluated. The results show a decreasing trend in both the incidence rate (from 3.0 to 1.5%) and apparent prevalence (from 8.9 to 5.2%) of GBS over the study period. By using a susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) model for the estimation of the transmission parameters, a basic reproductive number R0 of 1.4 was calculated, indicating an active spread of GBS in the dairy cattle population of the Emilia-Romagna region. GBS infected farms have a consistently higher BTM SCC than negative ones (+77,000 cells/ml), corresponding to a 0.4 kg/cow/day milk loss. Moreover, GBS infected herds resulted in almost three times more likelihood of having non-marketable milk by exceeding the legal SCC limit. This study demonstrates the need to maintain the current control program against GBS to lower its occurrence and prevent significant market losses to farmers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Tamba
- Department of Emilia-Romagna, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
- *Correspondence: Marco Tamba
| | - Rossella Rocca
- Department of Emilia-Romagna, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Alice Prosperi
- Department of Emilia-Romagna, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Pupillo
- Department of Emilia-Romagna, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Patrizia Bassi
- Department of Emilia-Romagna, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Giorgio Galletti
- Department of Emilia-Romagna, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Enrica Martini
- General Directorate of Personal Care, Health and Welfare, Region of Emilia-Romagna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Annalisa Santi
- Department of Emilia-Romagna, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Gabriele Casadei
- Department of Emilia-Romagna, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
| | - Norma Arrigoni
- Department of Emilia-Romagna, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Brescia, Italy
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Churakov M, Katholm J, Rogers S, Kao RR, Zadoks RN. Assessing potential routes of Streptococcus agalactiae transmission between dairy herds using national surveillance, animal movement data and molecular typing. Prev Vet Med 2021; 197:105501. [PMID: 34624567 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Streptococcus agalactiae, also known as group B Streptococcus (GBS), is a pathogen of humans and animals. It is an important cause of mastitis in dairy cattle, causing decreased milk quality and quantity. Denmark is the only country to have implemented a national surveillance and control campaign for GBS in dairy cattle. After a significant decline in the 20th century, prevalence has increased in the 21st century. Using a unique combination of national surveillance, cattle movement data and molecular typing, we tested the hypothesis that transmission mechanisms differ between GBS strains that are almost exclusive to cattle and those that affect humans as well as cattle, which would have implications for control recommendations. Three types of S. agalactiae, sequence type (ST) 1, ST23 and ST103 were consistently the most frequent strains among isolates obtained through the national surveillance programme from 2009 to 2011. Herds infected with ST103, which is common in cattle but rarely found in people in Europe, were spatially clustered throughout the study period and across spatial scales. By contrast, strains that are also commonly found in humans, ST1 and ST23, showed no spatial clustering in most or any years of the study, respectively. Introduction of cattle from a positive herd was associated with increased risk of infection by S. agalactiae in the next year (risk ratio of 2.9 and 4.7 for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, respectively). Moreover, mean exposure to infection was significantly higher for newly infected herds and significantly lower for persistently susceptible herds, as compared to random simulated networks with the same properties, which suggests strong association between the cattle movement network and new infections. At strain-level, new infections with ST1 between 2009 and 2010 were significantly associated with cattle movements, while other strains showed only some degree of association. Sharing of veterinary services, which may serve as proxy for local or regional contacts at a range of scales, was not significantly associated with increased risk of introduction of S. agalactiae or one of the three predominant strains on a farm. Our findings support the reinstatement of restrictions on cattle movements from S. agalactiae positive herds, which came into effect in 2018, but provide insufficient evidence to support strain-specific control recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail Churakov
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, G61 1QH, Glasgow, UK
| | - Jørgen Katholm
- DNA Diagnostic A/S, Voldbjergvej 14, DK-8240, Risskov, Denmark
| | - Simon Rogers
- School of Computing Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Rowland R Kao
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, G61 1QH, Glasgow, UK; Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Ruth N Zadoks
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, G61 1QH, Glasgow, UK; Moredun Research Institute, Pentland Science Park, Penicuik, EH26 0PZ, UK; Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW, 2570, Australia.
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