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Vaccination Against Mastitis¹

Department of Dairy Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824

ABSTRACT

Immunization of lactating dairy cows with bacterin-toxoid vaccines is a potential method of increasing a cow's resistance to bacterial invasion of the udder. Challenge experiments with mice, guinea pigs, goats, and dairy cows indicate that vaccination during lactation and during the nonlactating state will decrease the rate of new infections by Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus and lessen the severity of clinical attacks. In contrast, field studies with commercial dairy herds have shown that immunization with bacterin-toxoid vaccines does not decrease the new infection rate caused by streptococcal and staphylococcal bacteria. Commercial vaccines have limited value against clinical mastitis since an autogenous vaccine is essential. Therefore, vaccination against mastitis in the lactating dairy cow is of limited value because 1) new infections are not prevented; 2) protection against severe clinical attacks requires an autogenous vaccine and repeated injections; 3) cost of vaccines is high. Further research is necessary on antigens, route of administration, and other factors to make vaccination a feasible management tool.

¹ Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Article No. 7917.