Bacteriophage Type 80/81 Staphylococcal Infection in Human Beings Associated with Mastitis in Dairy Cattle

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Abstract
Investigations to de-termine the bacteriophage types of staphylococci present in milk of dairy cattle on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, revealed that the milk of 3 cows at one dairy contained antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus. phage type 80/81. The same type of staphylococcus was isolated from one of 15 employees of this dairy and 2 members of his family. Staphylococcus type 80/81 was also isolated from milk in a storage vat at the dairy, after the 3 cows originally found to be shedding the organisms were removed from the herd, suggesting that more cows were infected (approximately 800 cows were being milked). Subsequently type 80/81 staphylococcus was isolated from 5 more cows although all the cows at the dairy were not examined. The infected dairy employee and his wife suffered from furuncles and the 8 cows had mastitis. The origin of type 80/81 staphylococcus at the dairy was not established. Phage type 52/52A/80 staphylococcus, commonly associated with human staphylococcal disease in Hawaii was isolated from the milk of 6 other cows with mastitis at the same dairy but not from employees.