Удосконалення профілактичних протимаститних заходів на молочних фермах

Abstract

Goal. To study the spread of mastitis in heifers in dairy farms in the Ternopil region to improve measures for the prevention and treatment of this disease. Methods. Diagnostics of subclinical mastitis in animals was carried out using clinical studies of the mammary gland (examination, palpation, test milking of the secretion with visual assessment), mastidine test, and bacteriological studies (isolation of the pathogenic agent). Results. In the 8th month of pregnancy, when the heifer’s mammary gland begins to develop, pathogenic microorganisms can penetrate it and cause the development of an inflammatory process — it was diagnosed in 17.6% of animals. In the 9th month of pregnancy, 2 weeks before labor, the number of subclinical mastitis in heifers was diagnosed 1.7 times (p≤0.001) more often than 4 weeks before labor. This means that every third to fourth firstborn has inflammatory processes in the mammary gland even before lactation begins. Bacteria of the genera Staphylococcus and Streptococcus were mainly isolated from the udder secretions of animals suffering from subclinical mastitis. Thus, 4 weeks before calving, S. agalactiae microorganisms were recorded in 44.4% of disease cases, and S. uberis — 2 times less often (p≤0.001). 2 weeks before labor, the number of cases of mastitis caused by S. agalactiae was 35.7%, and that one caused by S. dysgalactiae and S. uberis was 2.5 times (p≤0.001) and 1.7 times (p≤ 0.01) smaller. It was also established that pathogenic microorganisms S.uberis in heifers caused subclinical mastitis 2.0–2.1 times (p≤0.001) more often than in first-born heifers during the first month of lactation. The number of cases of subclinical mastitis caused by S. aureus microorganisms in heifers and firstborns in the 1st month of lactation ranged from 28.6 to 33.4%. Conclusions. Preventive anti-mastitis measures on dairy farms should primarily consist in the diagnostics of mastitis in heifers at the 8-9th month of pregnancy and its treatment before labor.