BOVINE COAGULASE-NEGATIVE STAPHYLOCOCCI - BIOCHEMISTRY AND POLYMERASECHAIN-REACTION

Staphylococcus (S.) simulans, S. chromogenes, and S. epidermidis were the species of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) most frequently involved in subclinical mastitits of dairy cattle. The same biochemica l features characterized the successive isolates of a particular chron ically infected udder quarter. Occurrence rate of the various species differed between the herds examined. In cases of clinical mastitis of cows S. xylosus, S. simulans, S. haemolyticus, and S. chromogenes pred ominated. A comparison between strains of the particular CNS species f rom infections in man and cattle did not show host attributable bioche mical features or profiles obtained by polymerase chain reaction using arbitrary primers (AP-PCR).