Serologic and clinical reaction in cows to staphylococcic antigens
San Clemente, C.L.
American Journal of Veterinary Research 31(4): 643-651
1970
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9645 PMID: 5437107 Document Number: 21058
Various combinations of staphylococcal purified antigen (SPA) + whole cells, staphylolipase, and staphylocoagulase (SC), or a placebo (saline were administered to 14 cows by the subcutaneous or intramammary route on days 1 and 30, and the cows were challenged with an intramammary infusion of a virulent strain of Staphylococcus aureus on days 40 and 54. Samples of blood and milk were collected on days 1, 10, 30, 40 and 61 and tested for mouse protective, anticoagulase and lipase inhibition titres. Passive mouse protection titres were found only in sera from the 2 cows given SPA (1 by each route) and from the cow given SPA + SC intramammarily; titres in milk from these 3 cows were insignificant (2-20, expressed as reciprocal of 50% protective dilution, vs. 50-4000 in serum). Sera from all cows had an anticoagulase titre before treatment and response to SC was more marked when it was given by the subcutaneous than the intramammary route. Antilipase titres were low or absent at the beginning and end of the experiment. The 1st challenge inoculation (580 organisms/ml) failed to produce an infection in either experimental or control animals, whereas the 2nd challenge (6500 organisms/ml) evoked a clinical response in all cows except 1 of the controls; severe reaction occurred in cows treated with only 1 of the 3 staphylococcal materials. The greatest protection against challenge was afforded by a mixture of SPA, whole cells and SC, administered by either route.