Feeding Milk Containing Staphylococcus aureus to Calves

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Abstract
Newborn calves from dams free of staphylococcal udder infection were assigned to treatment groups in 2 experiments. Following colostrum feeding for 2 days, a culture of S. aureus was added to pasteurized milk fed to one group twice weekly for a total of 9 feedings. A control group received only pasteurized milk. Bull calves were in a short experiment to determine whether the organism was established in body tissues, and a 2nd experiment was to determine the effect of incidence of mastitis at calving. No S. aureus was isolated from any body tissue or surfaces of bull calves necropsied at about 7 wk of age. There was no difference in incidence of staphylococcal udder infection at first calving between heifers exposed to the organism as calves and controls. There appears little reason for concern about detrimental effects of feeding mastitic milk to calves under conditions where they are maintained in individual pens.

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