Studies on the mastitis-metritis-agalactia syndrome (milk fever) in sows. III. Galactogenic induction of Klebsiella-induced mastitis
Bertschinger, H.U.; Pohlenz, J.; Middleton-Williams, D.M.
Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde 119(7): 265-275
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-7281 PMID: 561440 Document Number: 112025
Teats of 6 farrowing sows were dabbed with 24-h cultures of Klebsiella pneumoniae, isolated from the mammary gland of a sow with mastitis. All sows developed symptoms of mastitis-metritis-agalactia. After slaughter, about 1-3 days after farrowing, catarrhal-purulent mastitis was found in 78 of the 142 mammary gland sectors exposed to infection, and K. pneumoniae was recovered from the glandular parenchyma of 60 mammary gland sectors. Ten sectors were infected with other bacteria. K. pneumoniae was also found in mammary gland sectors of 2 sows in which some teat orifices had been closed by various means (e.g. adhesive bandage) from the 111th day of pregnancy until the start of suckling. In experiments in which suspension with different K. pneumoniae counts were injected into the teat cisterns, suspensions with 120 bacteria were sufficient to cause mastitis. The highest K. pneumoniae counts were found in mammary gland sectors exposed to infection for 12-18 h, with a marked decrease after 24 h. The experimentally induced mastitis was associated with more marked leukopenia than spontaneous mastitis.