China Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (2): 903-915.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2026.02.035

• Zoonoses • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Isolation, Identification and Pathogenicity Analysis of Dairy Cow-derived Klebsiella pneumoniae and Mannheimia haemolytica

ZHANG Sui1,2(), CHENG Chunjie1,3(), YANG Chun1,4, CHEN Mengjiao1,4, CHENG Jing1, ZHOU Linyi1, LI Yongqing1, WANG Xiaoying2(), LIU Wenxiao1,5()   

  1. 1.Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine,Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences,Beijing 100097,China
    2.College of Veterinary Medicine,Xinjiang Agricultural University,Urumqi 830052,China
    3.College of Animal Science and Technology,Jiangxi Agricultural University,Nanchang 330000,China
    4.College of Animal Science and Technology,Beijing University of Agriculture,Beijing 102206,China
    5.Pirbright Institute,Woking GU240NB,United Kingdom
  • Revised:2025-05-13 Online:2026-02-20 Published:2026-01-27
  • Contact: WANG Xiaoying, LIU Wenxiao E-mail:2324212625@qq.com;ccj20200202@163.com;wangxiaoying6969@126.com;lwx232210809@163.com

Abstract:

Objective This study was conducted to identify the pathogens responsible for bovine mortality, aiming to provide a scientific reference for the prevention and control of diseases caused by co-infections with multiple pathogens in dairy cow. Method In this study, pathogenic bacteria were isolated and cultured from milk and blood samples of dead dairy cow using the plate streaking method. The isolates were subjected to species identification through Gram staining, 16S rRNA sequencing analysis, and virulence gene characterization. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were determined by the disk diffusion method, while pathogenicity was evaluated via animal challenge experiments. Result The bacterial isolate in the milk sample presented moist pink colonies of Gram-negative short bacilli on the McConkey medium. The results of 16S rRNA sequence analysis showed that the sequence similarity of the isolated bacteria to the representative strain of Klebsiella in GenBank was >99%, and it was clustered in the same branch as the standard strain of Klebsiella pneumoniaeK. pneumoniae) ATCC 13883. It was identified as K. pneumoniae and named BJ-B004. The results of virulence gene testing indicated that the isolate contained seven virulence genes, including fimHugewabGureAentBmrkD and ycf. The results of the drug sensitivity test showed that it was resistant to streptomycin, penicillin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, and cotrimoxazole, but was sensitive to antimicrobials such as enrofloxacin, doxycycline, florfenicol, tetracycline, spectinomycin, and cefoperazone. A small Gram-negative bacillus with hemolytic properties and rounded ends was isolated from the blood sample of the dead dairy cow. It was mostly arranged singly or in pairs and showed two-level concentrated staining by Wright-Giemsa staining. The results of 16S rRNA sequence analysis showed that its sequence similarity with the Mannheimia strain was >98%, and it was clustered in the same branch as the Mannheimia strain ZY190616 of bovine origin. It was identified as Mannheimia hemolyticusM. hemolyticusand named BJ-B007. The results of the drug sensitivity test indicated that it was not resistant to any antibacterial drugs except gentamicin. BALB/c mice were respectively infected with K. pneumoniaeM. hemolyticus and the mixed bacterial solution at dose of 3×107 CFU, with a PBS blank control group (n=5 per group), and the results showed that all the mice in the challenge group presented symptoms of the disease. All died within 48 h in mixed infection group, 4 died in M. hemolyticus group and 1 died in K.pneumoniae group. Pathological examination revealed that M. hemolyticus caused severe congestion, hemorrhage and necrotic lesions in multiple organs such as the liver, spleen, lung and kidney. Conclusion This study successfully isolated a multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae strain and a highly pathogenic M. haemolytica strain from pathological samples of a dead dairy cow. The mortality was determined to be primarily caused by K. pneumoniae-induced mastitis, followed by secondary bacteremia due to opportunistic infection with M. haemolytica. The results provided a scientific foundation for the integrated diagnostic strategies and comprehensive prevention protocols targeting bovine mastitis-respiratory syndrome co-infections.

Key words: dairy cow; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Mannheimia haemolytica; isolation and identification; pathogenicity

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