Mastitis under control in Canada: great results after vaccination against S. uberis
Streptococcus uberis is one of the main mastitis pathogens, and one of the most difficult to control. Given its potential to cause a significant impact on the herd, it is crucial to stablish the most adequate strategy against it. In the following study, presented at the WBC’24 (Cancún, Mexico), they were evaluated the results obtained in two Canadian farms after vaccination against S. uberis.
The pathogen
Mastitis caused by S. uberis is a common and significant issue in dairy herds, impacting both animal health and farm productivity.
Preventing this problem involves several strategies, including management practices and vaccination.
“Vaccines are a helpful tool to reduce the incidence and severity of mastitis cases, by enhancing the cow’s immune response to the bacteria”.
Design of the study
Two farms (A and B) from Quebec participated in the study, which had a high incidence of clinical mastitis caused by S. uberis.
In both farms, the whole herd was vaccinated with UBAC®, a subunit vaccine against S. uberis. The protocol recommended by the attending practitioner was followed, consisting of 3 intramuscular doses separated by a month interval, and then they were revaccinated 6 months later.
For the periods of one year before and one year after vaccination (2020-2021), the following data was recorded monthly on each farm:
– Individual cow somatic cell count (SCC)
– Milk production
– Fat and protein
– Clinical mastitis cases
“Data was stratified based on whether the cows were primiparous or multiparous”.
What were the results?
FARM A
Clinical mastitis cases were reduced in the year after vaccination, especially on the multiparous group, which had a bigger margin for improvement.
Also in this group there was also a remarkable reduction in the number of positive samples for S. uberis after vaccination.
FARM B
In this case, there was a statistically significant reduction of clinical mastitis in the primiparous cows.
No positive samples of S. uberis were obtained in primiparous animals after being vaccinated.
Conclusions
In this study, vaccination with UBAC® improved herd health and specifically reduced S. uberis mastitis cases on Canadian farms.
“UBAC® proves to be a powerful tool in preventing S. uberis mastitis in dairy herds”.
Article written by Tania Perálvarez Puerta. Global Product Manager, Small Ruminants Franchise – HIPRA
