Enterobacteriaceae bedding populations, rainfall and mastitis on a california dairy

The bedding populations of Enterobacteriaceae, rainfall and mastitis incidence due to Enterobacteriaceae were studied over 12 months on one California dairy. The bedding material used was a mixture of sawdust and wood shavings. Over the 12-month period Escherichia coli was isolated from 59 mastitic milk samples and Klebsiella pneumoniae from 44. The bedding population, rainfall and mastitis incidence data were analyzed by fitting log-linear models. The results of these analyses indicated that rainfall, bedding populations of E. coli and E. coli mastitis incidence were statistically independent, while a strong association existed between rainfall and K. pneumoniae bedding populations and separately between K. pneumoniae bedding populations and the incidence of K. pneumoniae mastitis.