Survival and replication of Mycoplasma species in recycled bedding sand and association with mastitis on dairy farms in Utah

Abstract

Mycoplasma spp., usually Mycoplasma bovis, are important bovine pathogens that can cause mastitis, metritis, pneumonia, and arthritis. The currently documented routes of transmission of Mycoplasma spp. are through contaminated milking equipment and by direct animal contact. The existence of environmental sources for Mycoplasma spp. and their role in transmission and clinical disease is poorly characterized. Mycoplasma spp. (confirmed as M. bovis in 2 of 4 samples tested using PCR) was found in recycled bedding sand originating from a dairy experiencing an outbreak of clinical mycoplasma mastitis. Mycoplasma spp. were subsequently found in bedding sand from 2 other dairies whose bulk-tank milk was mycoplasma-positive. The association between the occurrence of Mycoplasma spp. in recycled bedding sand and mycoplasma mastitis in cows was further investigated using a pile of recycled sand from dairy 1. Study objectives included the determination of factors associated with the concentration of Mycoplasma spp. in recycled bedding sand and the duration of survival of mycoplasmas in the sand. We also evaluated the efficacy of 2 disinfectants at 2 different concentrations each for the elimination of Mycoplasma spp. from contaminated sand. Mycoplasma spp. survived in the sand pile for 8 mo. The concentration of Mycoplasma spp. within the sand pile was directly related to temperature and precipitation. It was also positively associated with the growth of gram-negative microorganisms, suggesting the possibility of the formation of a biofilm. Ideal temperatures for replication of Mycoplasma spp. occurred between 15 and 20 degrees C. Moisture in the sand and movement of the sand pile also appeared to play a role in replication of mycoplasmas. We found that 0.5% sodium hypochlorite or 2% chlorhexidine were efficacious in eliminating Mycoplasma spp. from contaminated bedding sand. Recycled bedding sand could be an environmental source of Mycoplasma spp., including M. bovis, infections in dairy cows. Future studies should investigate the contribution of this environmental source to the epidemiology of mycoplasma infections in dairy cattle.

Mycoplasma Mastitis

“…Materials studied were those that could be typically found on dairies including sponges, stainless steel, wood, rubber, glass, and water. Justice-Allen and coworkers 45 in Utah discovered that Mycoplasma could live for up to 8 months in a sand pile. The sand originated from a herd with an outbreak of Mycoplasma mastitis.…”

“…Mycoplasma was also isolated in sand from 2 other dairies. The authors 45 suggested that sand could be a reservoir for Mycoplasma mastitis. However, in a separate investigation where there appeared to be a link between sand bedding and a clinical mastitis outbreak, it was found that the strains of Mycoplasma sp in the bedding had a completely different DNA fingerprint than those causing mastitis (Fox and Corbett, unpublished data, 2008).…”

Spores and soil from six sides: interdisciplinarity and the environmental biology of anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)

“…Even familiar zoonotic pathogens with non‐environmental routes of exposure can show surprising and unexpected patterns of environmental persistence. For example, recent work has confirmed that Mycoplasma bovis , a bacterial pathogen associated with mastitis in cattle and bison ( Bison bison ), can persist for long periods and possibly replicate, most likely through the formation of biofilms associated with gram‐negative bacteria, in sandy soil used as cattle bedding under certain moisture conditions (Justice‐Allen et al ., ). Similarly, plague ( Yersinia pestis ), conventionally studied as a vector‐borne disease, recently has been shown to persist in the soil for weeks – although the importance of this to the ecology and epidemiology of plague is still controversial (Lowell et al ., ).…”

Laboratory diagnosis of mycoplasma infection in young cattle

“…In Europe, M. bovis is believed to be responsible for 25-33% of outbreaks of calf pneumonia. This Mycoplasma species is also associated with the diseases of bulls' genital tract (seminal vesiculitis, epidydimitis, orchitis) and reproductive disorders of cows as well (mastitis, metritis, salpingitis and abortion) (Nicholas and Ayling 2003, Justice-Allen et al 2010, Punyapornwithaya et al 2010.…”