Abstract
The objective was to describe potential associations of somatic cell counts (SCC) and total bacterial counts (TBC) in bulk-tank milk from sheep and goat farms with breeds of these animals in Greece. In total, 325 dairy sheep flocks and 119 dairy goat herds were visited for the collection of milk; the breed of animals in farms was evaluated for a potential association with SCC or TBC. The most frequently seen sheep breeds were the Lacaune (95 flocks) and the Chios (44 flocks). The most frequently seen goat breeds were the indigenous Greek (Capra prisca) (50 herds) and the Murciano-Granadina (13 herds). In a multivariable analysis, the breed and the application of machine-milking in sheep flocks, and the breed and the management system in goat herds emerged as significant factors for increased SCC (>0.75 × 106 cells mL−1) in bulk-tank milk. Further, the month of lactation at sampling in sheep flocks emerged a significant factor for increased TBC (>1500 × 103 cfu mL−1) in bulk-tank milk.
Highlights
There are over 6,000,000 sheep and 3,000,000 goats in Greece
An assessment of mastitis resistance in genetic studies is usually performed by using somatic cell counts in milk; increased somatic cell counts can be employed as an indicator of infection and of subclinical mastitis [13]
Genomic regions associated with specific mastitis traits in Chios-breed sheep have been identified [34], in Greece, no genetic improvement programmes have been developed for resistance to mastitis despite the significance of the breed for the sheep population of the country. This was reflected in the fact that there was a high proportion of farms with Chios-breed animals that had increased somatic cell counts in the bulk-tank milk; the results indicated that farms with Chios-breed animals had higher odds for increased SCC
Summary
There are over 6,000,000 sheep and 3,000,000 goats in Greece. The predominant type of production is dairy, with over 95% of animals in the country being milked. Many reports are available, presenting morphological characteristics of sheep and goat breeds in Greece (e.g., for sheep: [1,2,3,4,5], for goats: [6,7]). In the study of Davies et al [12], mastitis was considered the top ranking sheep disease amenable for genetic studies. The heritabilities for somatic cell counts range from 0.09 to 0.30, whilst those for production traits vary between 0.30 and 0.60 [13]
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