Abstract
Aim: To know the presence of Escherichia coli on the udder skin of the dairy farm buffaloes in the Phagwara region, Punjab, India. Materials and Methods: A total of 135 swabbed samples were collected randomly from the udder of buffaloes in ten dairy farms over the period of three months from August to October 2011 without concern to their breed with the prior approval of the farm owners. The sterilized cotton swabs were examined by Gram's staining for the morphology of the culture, culture characteristics was confirmed by growth on different media and by preforming the different biochemical tests like Indole production, Voges- Proskauer test, Urease Production, Nitrate Reduction, Methyl red and Presumptive test. Results: Out of 135 samples were examined, 23(17.03%) were positive for E. coli. Most Probable Number (MPN) results confirmed the one possibility of the bacteria from the contaminated water. Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that E. coli isolates are present on the udder skin of the dairy farm buffaloes in the Phagwara region, pose a serious threat to the animal as well as consumer health. Thus, more hygienic preventive measures are required to inhibit the bacterial growth, so as to improve the health of the animals as well as the wholesomeness of the milk.
Highlights
Escherichia coli is one of the most intensively studied living species
The presence of the E. coli on the skin of the udder was confirmed by the growth pattern on different media and by the biochemical tests whose result were given in the tables 1 and 2 respectively
The results of the Most Probable Number (MPN) showed in table-3, which shows the level of contamination in per hundred milliliters of water sample collected from the dairy farms [19]
Summary
Escherichia coli is one of the most intensively studied living species. Escherichia coli is a normal part of the microbiota of the lower gastrointestinal tract of mammals, including humans, and usually exist as a harmless commensal. There exist many pathogenic strains of E. coli that can cause a variety of diseases in both humans and animals [1]. The mastitis which is caused by E. coli is commonly called Environmental mastitis [2]. This pathogen infects the udder generally through the ducts papillaris, which is the only opening of the udder to the outside world. Mastitis is the most costly disease even though buffaloes have been traditionally considered less susceptible to mastitis than cattle [3]
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