Enterococci are bacteria commonly occurring in the digestive system of both animals and humans. They get into the environment together with faeces and then into the mammary gland through a teat canal.
Mastitis in dairy cows can be caused by the following species: Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus bovis, Enterococcus equinus. They usually cause subclinical mastitis but sometimes clinical signs can also develop.
Enterococci are relatively resistant bacteria; they persist in the environment and are able to survive in the mammary gland for a longer period of time. They are quite resistant to higher temperatures (thermostable) and milk pasteurization does not destroy them, it just damages them.
A proportion of enterococcal mastitides varies depending on predisposition factors in animals, the herd size, compliance with hygiene rules etc.
For the correct diagnosis, the microbiological testing of the mammary gland secretion is necessary. This bacterium forms pink-violet colonies with a lighter peak in the Streptococci sector (Strep) of the ClearMilk test – see the photo.
With respect to their increased antibiotic resistance, confirmation by MALDI TOF or another bacteriological method and especially determination of antibiotic sensitivity is recommended. All tests can be performed in our laboratory.
https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/ use the key word Enterococcus faecalis to find 470 professional articles in English.