Molecular diversity of Staphylococcus aureus and the role of milking equipment adherences or biofilm as a source for bulk tank milk contamination

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most frequent pathogens causing intramammary infections in dairy herds. Consequently, virulence factors, pathobiology, and epidemiology strains have been widely assessed through years. Nevertheless, not much has described about Staph. from bulk tank milk (BTM) adherences on milking equipment (AMES), even when these may play a role quality that intended for human consumption. The objective this study was to assess strain diversity 166 isolates collected 3 consecutive BTM samples, AMES contact with 23 Chilean farms. Isolates were analyzed typed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Diversity strains, both within among farms, Simpson's index (SID). On farms where isolated (n = 8), pulsotypes further evaluate as potential source BTM. Among all by electrophoresis, total 42 (19 main subtypes) identified. highly heterogeneous (SID 0.99). Within variable 0 1), 18 operations (81.8%) had pulsotype shared between at least 2 successive samples. In those 7 (87.5%) showed clonal distribution types overlapping certain point out common sources otherwise epidemiologically unrelated Indistinguishable across suggest aureus–containing represent contamination, thus affecting quality. Our highlights viable contamination also describes presence specific