Staphylococcus Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Staphylococcus, including details on mrsa, hospitals, infection, antibiotic resistance, superbugs.

Effect of intramammary infusion of bacterial lipopolysaccharide on experimentally induced Staphylococcus aureus intramammary infection.

Kauf AC, Vinyard BT, Bannerman DD

Bovine Functional Genomics Laboratory, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, BARC-East, Building 1040, Room #2, Beltsville, MD 20705, United States.

Mastitis due to Staphylococcus aureus is a significant problem in the dairy industry and is refractory to antibiotic treatment and/or vaccine prevention. Relative to other mastitis-causing pathogens, S. aureus elicits a diminutive host inflammatory response during intramammary infection. To determine whether induction of a heightened inflammatory response could influence outcome of infection, the highly pro-inflammatory molecule bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was infused into udder quarters experimentally infected with S. aureus. Relative to S. aureus-infected udder quarters receiving saline, quarters infused with LPS demonstrated a heightened inflammatory response as demonstrated by the induction of TNF-alpha and higher milk somatic cell counts and albumin levels. Although there was no overall effect on bacterial clearance, a trend toward reduced bacterial numbers during the immediate pro-inflammatory response following LPS infusion was observed suggesting that this novel approach to treating S. aureus intramammary infection may warrant further investigation.

Published 12 December 2006 in Res Vet Sci, 82(1): 39-46.
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