Project number: 18.00.18.07.02

Staphylococcus aureus, a Problem Bacterium in the Swiss Dairy Sector: New Findings and Control

Staphylococcus aureus is a notorious infectious agent in humans and animals, which sometimes causes infectious (genotype B (=GTB)) mastitis in cows. The consequences of Staph. Aureus GTB for the Swiss dairy industry are serious, and go hand-in-hand with inadequate milk quality, high costs for antibiotics, and culling. The mountain areas (alpine farming) are particularly affected by the pathogen, with infection present in up to 40 per cent of herds. In this project, our researchers are hoping to make an entire canton – Ticino – GTB-free for the first time. Together with the other subprojects – new knowledge on the development of antibiotic resistance and the regulation of enterotoxins – Agroscope researchers aim to significantly improve milk quality and the food safety of dairy products, as well as to drastically decrease both costs and antibiotic use in the dairy industry.

Schwendimann L., Merda D., Berger T., Denayer S., Feraudet Tarisse C., Kläui A., Messio S., Mistou M.Y., Nia Y., Hennekinne J.A., Graber H. U.
Staphylococcal enterotoxin gene cluster: Prediction of enterotoxin (SEG and SEI) production and of the source of food poisoning based on vSaβ typing.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 87, (5), 2020, 1-15.

Graber H. U.
Staphylococcus aureus.
In: Annual conference. 28.-31. Januar, Publ. National Mastitis Council NMC, Orlando, FL, USA. 2020, 1-11.

Romanò A., Gazzola A., Bianchini B., Cortimiglia C., Maisano A.M., Cremonesi P., Graber H. U., Vezzoli F., Luini M.
Staphylococcus aureus from goats are genetically heterogeneous and distinct to bovine ones.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, 2020, 1-9.

Graber H. U.
Erfolgreiche Bekämpfung von Staphylococcus aureus GTB im Kanton Tessin – und in Zukunft auch schweizweit?
In: Nutztiertagung 2020. 23.09., Posieux- Agroscope. 2020.

Monistero V., Barberio A., Biscarini F., Cremonesi P., Castiglioni B., Graber H. U., Bottini E., Ceballos-Marquez A., Kroemker V., Petzer I.M., Pollera C., Santisteban C., Veiga Dos Santos M., Bronzo V., Piccinini R. and others
Different distribution of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence profiles of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from clinical mastitis in six countries.
Journal of Dairy Science, 103, (4), 2020, 1-16.

Schwendimann L., Berger T., Graber H. U., Meier S., Hummerjohann J., Jakob E.
Growth of Staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcal enterotoxin formation, and the effect of scalding temperature during the production of Alpine cheese in a laboratory cheese-making model.
Journal of Food Protection, 83, (10), 2020, 1822-1828.

Graber H. U., Bodmer M.
Staphylococcus aureus und seine Genotypen als Mastitiserreger der Milchkuh – eine Übersicht.
Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde, 161, (10), 2019, 611-617.

Kläui A., Boss R., Graber H. U.
Characterization and comparative analysis of the Staphylococcus aureus genomic island vSaβ: an in silico approach.
Journal of Bacteriology, 201, (22 (Article number e 0077-18)), 2019, 1-16.

Graber H. U.
Sanierung von Staphylococcus-aureus-Genotyp-B-infizierten Milchviehherden.
Agrarforschung Schweiz, 10, (6), 2019, 220-227.
other Languages: french

Leuenberger A., Sartori C., Boss R., Resch G., Oechslin F., Steiner A., Moreillon Ph., Graber H. U.
Genotypes of Staphylococcus aureus: On-farm epidemiology and the consequences for prevention of intramammary infections.
Journal of Dairy Science, 102, (4), 2019, 3295-3309.

Monistero V., Graber H. U., Pollera C., Cremonesi P., Castiglioni B., Bottini E., Ceballos-Marquez A., Lasso-Rojas L., Kroemker V., Wente N., Petzer I.M., Santisteban C., Runyan J., Veiga Dos Santos M., Alves B.G. and others
Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Bovine Mastitis in Eight Countries: Genotypes, Detection of Genes Encoding Different Toxins and Other Virulence Genes.
Toxins, 10, (6), 2018, 1-22.

Sartori C., Perreten V., Ivanovic I., Härdi-Landerer M. C., Graber H. U.
Lack of intramammary niche recolonization during a sanitation program for the contagious mastitis pathogen Staphylococcus aureus genotype B.
Journal of Dairy Science, 101, (9), 2018, 8296-8300.

Sartori C., Boss R., Bodmer M., Leuenberger A., Ivanovic I., Graber H. U.
Sanitation of Staphylococcus aureus genotype B-positive dairy herds: A field study.
Journal of Dairy Science, 101, (8), 2018, 6897-6914.

Thiran E., Di Ciccio P.A., Graber H. U., Zanardi E., Ianieri A., Hummerjohann J.
Biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus dairy isolates representing different genotypes.
Journal of Dairy Science, 101, (2), 2018, 1000-1012.