Use of pirlimycin in a Streptococcus agalactiae eradication protocol
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro19975905Keywords:
Streptococcus agalactiae, milk quality, Class 1 shipping status, pirlimycin, eradication protocolAbstract
Streptococcus agalactiae is a highly contagious obligate parasite of the bovine mammary gland. The epidemiology of the pathogen has been reviewed elsewhere.1 S. agalactiae continues to be a prevalent pathogen in the dairy industry in Canada and across North America.1 In Prince Edward Island (PEI), in 1994, 15% of herds were infected.2 Prevalence rates in the late 1980s and early 1990s in other parts of Canada have ranged from 11 % to 43%.1 In 1993 PEI dairy herds, infected with S. agalactiae, were 4 times more likely to get a milk quality penalty and 8 times more likely to lose Class 1 shipping status, due to repeat penalization, than culture negative herds.2 At that time, imposition of a milk quality penalty, on Class 1 shippers, cost average sized producers approximately $1150/month and loss of Class 1 status cost, on average, $10,000.3