Sanitation of Staphylococcus aureus genotype B as a model for community of practice for improving food safety and animal health

Improving food safety and sustainability requires knowledge transfer from scientific studies to real-world applications, yet this process often faces significant barriers. This paper presents a seven-step model applied to a sanitation program that shows how focused scientific innovation can be successfully translated into practice to address complex food safety and animal health challenges. This model integrates active stakeholder engagement throughout all stages, from initial risk identification to pilot implementation. A cost-effective real-time quantitative PCR technique with sensitivity 99% and specificity 100% was used for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus genotype B (GTB)-infected herds (proof of concepts), enabling targeted control and intervention. The sanitation program demonstrated high efficacy, achieving a 73% reduction in S. aureus GTB-related mastitis cases within 7 months and complete eradication within 20 months across the 168 participating farms involving a total of 3,364 cows. The pilot phases of the program were expanded into a pragmatic implementation strategy developed by a consortium of researchers, veterinarians, farmers, and regulatory officials in Switzerland. Improved animal well-being, increased milk quality, farm productivity, and a notable decrease in antibiotic use for mastitis treatment were among the main benefits. Following the 2017-2020 implementation phase, a continuous monitoring program was established to sustain the project's long-term success. We also discuss and evaluate the scalability of this local sanitation seven-step program initiative toward the establishment of an international community of practice within the EU-funded CATALYSE project (https://thecatalyseproject.eu/ and https://catalyse-cop.eu/). This case study validated a solid and cooperative roadmap for transforming fundamental scientific discoveries into viable, practical solutions. It emphasizes how an organized community of practice is essential to closing the gap between scientific advancement and end-user and can be adopted to facilitate scalability and replication around Europe, offering a useful model for enhancing food safety and sustainability throughout the larger dairy value chain.