Immunisation against experimental staphylococcal mastitis in sheep - effect of challenge with a heterologous strain of Staphylococcus aureus.

Ewes were immunised in late pregnancy with killed Staphylococcus aureus vaccines prepared from organisms grown either under in vitro (vaccine T) or in vivo (Vaccine V) cultural conditions; other ewes were immunised with a live S. aureus vaccine and a further group remained non-vaccinated controls. The animals given either of the killed vaccines developed highest titres of agglutinating antibody in serum; there were only trivial levels of agglutinating antibody in milk from ewes in each treatment group. Ewes immunised with the live vaccine developed significantly greater levels of opsonins in serum than did those immunised with the killed vaccines or non-immunised controls. At 30 to 35 days post-partum the ewes were challenged by intramammary infusion of one million S. aureus of a strain different to the vaccination strain. In 4 of the 5 control ewes this resulted in the development of acute mastitis and a precipitous decline in milk production, whereas there was a considerable degree of resistance recorded in animals in each of the vaccinated groups. On criteria of milk production data, bacteriological status of milk and clinical signs of acute mastitis it was apparent that animals which had been immunised with the live vaccine were better protected from challenge than those immunised with either killed vaccines T or V.