Staphylococcal Toxins and Bovine Mastitis

 Staphylococcal Toxins and Bovine Mastitis

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common contagious causative agent of bovine mastitis. Many virulence factors associated with the pathogenesis of mastitis have been characterized and identified in bovine S. aureus isolates. Studies have been done to test the effects of different virulence factors on pathogenicity in animal models, as well as using in vitro cell cultures to test the effects they have on host cells. The mouse model of S. aureus mastitis is frequently used for research of bovine mastitis. Although there are similar lesions between mouse mastitis and bovine mastitis, more in vivo bovine studies need to be done for better understanding the pathogenesis of S. aureus due to the remarkable differences between the two species. In order to develop an effective diagnosis tool and to identify a potent vaccine candidate it is necessary to elucidate the molecular mechanism of pathogenicity, and to understand the regulatory mechanism for mediating virulence factors of S. aureus. The purpose of this report is to review the epidemiology of bovine mastitis, the progress made in developing a bovine mastitis vaccine, the role of staphylococcal toxins in S. aureus mastitis, and the regulatory mechanisms in bovine mastitis S. aureus..