VN July 2023

Vetnews | Julie 2023 7 Prevention of Streptococcus uberis Aswithmanyothermastitis-causingpathogens, preventingS.uberis mastitis is much more rewarding than trying to treat your way out of a problem. An efficacious pre-dip should be used to help remove organic material and disinfect the teats prior to attachment. Before removing the pre-dip with a paper towel or a separate, clean, dry cloth towel, it should be left on the teats for 30 seconds, ensuring proper disinfection time. All quarters should be forestripped during the milking time to start the milk let-down procedure. The interval between the beginning of manual stimulation (forestrip or wipe) and unit attachment should be between 60 and 120 seconds. Following detachment, an approved post-milking teat dip should be applied with sufficient coverage of all teats. The aim of a good milking routine should be to milk clean, dry, and stimulated teats. The proper use of a well-maintained milking machine is a crucial point in preventing damage to teats and limiting the risk of new infections. The control of S.uberis also includes managing environmental factors to maintain a clean and dry living environment. Finally, it is important to increase the cow’s resistance to developing mastitis. Besides improving immunity through nutritional management and prevention of production diseases, vaccination against S.uberis can provide specific immunity and reduce the incidence of clinical mastitis caused by S.uberis. Other benefits of such a vaccination program are a reduction in the number of antibiotic treatments and a reduction in milk losses in herds with S.uberis intramammary infections. Vaccination programs can be incorporated with other dry cow management strategies to fight S.uberis mastitis. These strategies include appropriate dry cow therapy with a long- acting antibiotic and teat sealants if used correctly, have shown good success in many countries. Conclusion S.uberis is one of the most important causative pathogens for clinical mastitis worldwide, with an increasing prevalence in South African dairy cows. S.uberis is known for a range of different virulence factors, with biofilm production being described as one of the main virulence factors. It is a ubiquitous microorganism, colonizing the environment as well as the animal. Effective prevention strategies require a holistic approach ensuring good immunity of the cows, proper milking routine, sound management of the milking machine and control of all environmental factors. A vaccine against S.uberis mastitis is a new and specific tool that can now be incorporated in our quest to take control of S.uberis. v Leading Article