Experimentally induced intramammary infection with multiple strains of Streptococcus uberis

The effect of infusing a mixture of 5 Streptococcus uberis strains into mammary quarters of 10 lactating cows was investigated. All 5 strains, which included 2 originally isolated from the dairy environment and 3 from clinical cases of mastitis, were capable of establishing an intramammary infection when infused individually. However, when the 5 strains were infused together, a single strain predominated in 7 out of 10 quarters. One strain in particular prevailed in 4 mammary quarters and was also found to inhibit the growth of the other 4 strains with deferred antagonism on esculin blood agar. The genes required for the production of bacteriocins nisin U and uberolysin were identified in this strain, whereas the other 4 strains contained only uberolysin genes. Direct competition may have occurred between strains within the mammary gland but competition was not apparent when cultured together in UHT milk, where no strain predominated. Although the mechanism is unknown, these results imply that a selection process can occur within the mammary gland, leading to a single strain that is detected upon diagnosis of mastitis.