Variations in cow milk and teat skin microbiota across the lactation cycle with intramammary cephalosporin use at dry-off

ABSTRACT Cephalosporins and other broad-spectrum antibiotics are frequently administered prophylactically into the udder when dairy cows end their lactation cycle, termed dry-off, to reduce mastitis risk. However, the use of antibiotics on cows that do not have signs of infection may result in the selection of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and negatively alter the udder microbiome. In this study, the effects of intramammary cephalosporin therapy with Cephapirin (CB) or Ceftiofur (CH) on milk and teat skin microbiota were examined for three dairies in California. Intramammary injections were given to healthy cows with high somatic cell counts (>200,000 cells/mL), indicative of infection. Samples were collected at dry-off (before treatment), 7 days later, and 55–75 days in milk (DIM) in the next lactation cycle. Dairy (milk: R 2 = 6.22, skin: R 2 = 7.56) and day of sampling (milk: R 2 = 4.74 and skin: R 2 = 3.77) had the highest impact on the milk and skin microbiota. CB or CH use was associated with a small but significant impact on milk microbiota beta-diversity (Bray-Curtis, P =0.003, R 2 = 1.4%), but no effect was observed on the skin. At one dairy (Dairy 3), milk from cows receiving CB and CH had reduced proportions of Staphylococcaceae at 55–75 DIM compared to untreated cows. Overall, antibiotic use did not result in large significant (beneficial or harmful) changes in bacterial diversity in milk or on the teat skin; instead, the microbiota differences were mainly influenced by the time and location of sampling. IMPORTANCE The use of antibiotics in agriculture is under increasing scrutiny due to the rising spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Our study showed that common preventative antibiotic intramammary treatment of cows with cephalosporins at the end of their lactation (dry-off) had minimal effects on the milk and teat skin microbiota of asymptomatic cows with high somatic cell counts.