[en] Mycoplasma bovis is an important cause of mastitis in dairy cattle, and pneumonia, arthritis, and otitis in calves. Milk and colostrum are considered important sources of infection for calves. knowledge on the effect of on-farm freezing (-18 degrees C) and thawing methods on the recovery of M. bovis from colostrum samples is missing. In this study, 2 separate experiments were performed. The first experiment consisted of a longitudinal study examining the survival [as measured by log(10) reduction] of 2 M. bovis strains in frozen colostrum over 14 wk. The second experiment examined the effect of different thawing temperatures (45 and 20 degrees C), thawing frequencies (once or twice), and initial colostrum titer (10(4) or 10(6) cfu/mL) on M. bovis survival. A single freeze-thaw cycle led to an approximate 1 log reduction of M. bovis titer, independent of the thawing temperature. Freezing for 14 wk did not significantly further reduce the titer of bacteria compared with freezing for 2 wk. A second freeze-thaw cycle further reduced the M. bovis count by approximately 0.5 log compared with a single freeze-thaw cycle. Thawing temperature and initial bacterial concentration did not significantly affect M. bovis reduction. In conclusion, storage of colostrum samples in the freezer at -18 degrees C during epidemiological studies, herd monitoring, or test and cull programs will probably have little influence on qualitative bacteriological test results for M. bovis. The epidemiological or clinical relevance of an approximate 1 log reduction of M. bovis in colostrum is currently unclear.
Aebi, M., van den Borne, B.H., Raemy, A., Steiner, A., Pilo, P., Bodmer, M., Mycoplasma bovis infections in Swiss dairy cattle: A clinical investigation. Acta Vet. Scand., 57, 2015, 10 25884203.
Argüello, A., Castro, N., Capote, J., Ginés, R., Acosta, F., López, J.L., Effects of refrigeration, freezing-thawing and pasteurization on IgG goat colostrum preservation. Small Rumin. Res. 48 (2003), 135–139.
Biddle, M.K., Fox, L.K., Hancock, D.D., Patterns of mycoplasma shedding in the milk of dairy cows with intramammary mycoplasma infection. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 223 (2003), 1163–1166 14584748.
Boonyayatra, S., Fox, L.K., Besser, T.E., Sawant, A., Gay, J.M., Effects of storage methods on the recovery of Mycoplasma species from milk samples. Vet. Microbiol. 144 (2010), 210–213 20053506.
Butler, J.A., Sickles, S.A., Johanns, C.J., Rosenbusch, R.F., Pasteurization of discard Mycoplasma mastitic milk used to feed calves: Thermal effects on various Mycoplasma. J. Dairy Sci. 83 (2000), 2285–2288 11049070.
Cai, H.Y., Bell-Rogers, P., Parker, L., Prescott, J.F., Development of a real-time PCR for detection of Mycoplasma bovis in bovine milk and lung samples. J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. 17 (2005), 537–545 16475511.
Foley, J.A., Otterby, D.E., Availability, storage, treatment, composition, and feeding value of surplus colostrum—Review. J. Dairy Sci. 61 (1978), 1033–1060.
Fox, L.K., Mycoplasma mastitis: CAUSES, transmission, and control. Vet. Clin. North Am. Food Anim. Pract. 28 (2012), 225–237 22664205.
Fox, L.K., Kirk, J.H., Britten, A., Mycoplasma mastitis: A review of transmission and control. J. Vet. Med. B Infect. Dis. Vet. Public Health 52 (2005), 153–160 16000109.
Gille, L., Pilo, P., Valgaeren, B.R., Van Driessche, L., Van Loo, H., Bodmer, M., Bürki, S., Boyen, F., Haesebrouck, F., Deprez, P., Pardon, B., A new predilection site of Mycoplasma bovis: Postsurgical seromas in beef cattle. Vet. Microbiol. 186 (2016), 67–70 27016759.
Godden, S., Colostrum management for dairy calves. Vet. Clin. North Am. Food Anim. Pract. 24 (2008), 19–39 18299030.
Godden, S., McMartin, S., Feirtag, J., Stabel, J., Bey, R., Goyal, S., Metzger, L., Fetrow, J., Wells, S., Chester-Jones, H., Heat-treatment of bovine colostrum. II: Effects of heating duration on pathogen viability and immunoglobulin G. J. Dairy Sci. 89 (2006), 3476–3483 16899682.
Maunsell, F., Brown, M.B., Powe, J., Ivey, J., Woolard, M., Love, W., Simecka, J.W., Oral inoculation of young dairy calves with Mycoplasma bovis results in colonization of tonsils, development of otitis media and local immunity. PLoS One, 7, 2012, e44523 22970240.
Maunsell, F.P., Donovan, A., Mycoplasma bovis infections in young calves. Vet. Clin. North Am. Food Anim. Pract. 25 (2009), 139–177 19174287.
Maunsell, F.P., Woolums, A.R., Francoz, D., Rosenbusch, R.F., Step, D.L., Wilson, D.J., Janzen, E.D., Mycoplasma bovis infections in cattle. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 25 (2011), 772–783 21745245.
Pfützner, H., Sachse, K., Mycoplasma bovis as an agent of mastitis, pneumonia, arthritis and genital disorders in cattle. Rev. Sci. Tech. 15 (1996), 1477–1494 9190022.
Rosengarten, R., Citti, C., The role of ruminant mycoplasmas in systemic infections. Stipkovits, L., Rosengarten, R., Frey, J., (eds.) COST 826 Agriculture and Biotechnology: Mycoplasmas of Ruminants: Pathogenicity, Diagnostics, Epidemiology and Molecular Genetics, Vol. 3, 1999, European Communities, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, 14–17.
Rossetti, B.C., Frey, J., Pilo, P., Direct detection of Mycoplasma bovis in milk and tissue samples by real-time PCR. Mol. Cell. Probes 24 (2010), 321–323 20561921.
Walz, P.H., Mullaney, T.P., Render, J.A., Walker, R.D., Mosser, T., Baker, J.C., Otitis media in preweaned Holstein dairy calves in Michigan due to Mycoplasma bovis. J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. 9 (1997), 250–254 9249163.