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First outbreak of bovine mastitis caused by Prototheca blaschkeae
M Ricchi1, C De Cicco1, P Buzzini2
1Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, Diagnostic Section of Piacenza, Strada Faggiola 1, 29027 Gariga di Podenzano, Piacenza, Italy.
Veterinary Microbiology
|December 4, 2012
Summary
Prototheca blaschkeae, a yeast-like alga, has been identified as the cause of a bovine mastitis outbreak in Italy. This finding suggests P. blaschkeae may be a more significant cause of mastitis than previously thought.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Mycology
- Animal Infectious Diseases
- Dairy Herd Health
Background:
- Bovine mastitis is a significant animal disease caused by yeast-like algae of the genus Prototheca.
- Prototheca zopfii genotype 2 has been considered the primary cause of bovine protothecal mastitis, with Prototheca blaschkeae isolated infrequently.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the first documented outbreak of bovine mastitis caused by P. blaschkeae in an Italian dairy herd.
- To investigate the prevalence and identification of Prototheca species in affected dairy cattle and the environment.
Main Methods:
- Screening of 104 individual milk samples, 3 bulk tank milk samples, and 16 environmental samples from a dairy herd.
- Molecular analysis for the identification of Prototheca strains.
Main Results:
- Prototheca was detected in 5 milk, 1 bulk tank, and 4 environmental samples.
- Molecular identification confirmed that all isolates, except one P. zopfii genotype 2 environmental isolate, were P. blaschkeae.
- This outbreak was caused exclusively by P. blaschkeae.
Conclusions:
- Prototheca blaschkeae can cause significant bovine mastitis outbreaks, challenging previous assumptions about its prevalence.
- Further research is needed to determine if P. zopfii genotype 2's higher reported incidence is due to greater pathogenicity or wider environmental distribution.
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