title: Phage typing of Staphylococcus aureus associated with subclinical bovine mastitis.
abstract: Six hundred and seventeen isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from subclinical clinical mastitis cases in 63 dairy herds in Northern Ireland were typed using a set of 25 phages. Ninety-four per cent of the isolates were typable, with nine phages, predominantly from groups I and III, being responsible for almost all of the lysis. Although 68 phage patterns were found, six of them typed 47.2% of the isolates. One strain accounted for 14.7% of the isolates, but the largest number of strains (44) was restricted to individual farms. The epidemiological significance of these findings for on-farm mastitis control is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001434:Bacteriophage Typing; D002417:Cattle; D005260:Female; D008414:Mastitis, Bovine / Q000382:microbiology*; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology; D013204:Staphylococcus Phages; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification*