Abstract
Hygiene conditions during milking are essential in dairy cattle to ensure the highest level of milk production. The aim of this work was to assess the efficacy of hygiene measures during the manual milking process with no pre- or post-milking antisepsis measure at the Sahelian experimental station of Toukounous (Niger), on the prevalence of California Mastitis Test (CMT)-positive cows, on the identity of bacterial pathogens recovered from positive milk samples and on the clonality of the Staphylococcus aureus isolated. The application of mammary gland washing prior to milking, of teat dipping with chlorhexidine after milking and of milkers’ hand washing and disinfection with sodium hypochlorite significantly decreased the number of CMT-positive cows. However, the percentages of bacteriologically positive milk samples and the relative isolation rates of S. aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci did not significantly differ according to the presence/absence of antisepsis measure. As for the clonality of the S. aureus isolates, the 53 S. aureus isolated in the absence of hygiene measures belonged to 10 pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) fingerprints, while, in comparison, only five PFGE fingerprints were identified amongst the 11 S. aureus isolated in the presence of hygiene measures. As a conclusion, the strict application of hygiene and disinfection during hand milking at Toukounous is a major contributor to the decrease of the percentage of CMT-positive cows and, therefore, of mastitis prevalence and incidence. The reasons for the persistence of the remaining S. aureus after application of hygiene measures may be numerous; one of them could be that they belong to more resistant clones. Key words: Mastitis, antisepsis, manual milking, Azawak zebu, Niger.
Highlights
Efficacy y of an ntiseps sis me easures s durin ng man nual m milking o on the preva alence of bac cterial Mastittis at th he Sah helian experim e mental statio on of Toukou unous, Niger
Since the milking process at Toukounous is purely manual (Figure 1) with no pre- or post-milking antisepsis measure and since the four to six milkers per herd applyno hand washing or antisepsis between the cows, the objective of the present study was to assess the consequence of the application of antiseptic measures during the milking process (i) on the prevalence of bacterial mastitis applying CMT, (ii) on the identity of bacterial pathogens recovered from
As far as the cows are concerned, mammary gland washing was applied before the milking and teat dipping after each milking with chlorhexidine, that is active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and against fungi and some enveloped viruses (Hugo and Longworth, 1964; Kampf and Kramer, 2004)
Summary
Efficacy y of an ntiseps sis me easures s durin ng man nual m milking o on the preva alence of bac cterial Mastittis at th he Sah helian experim e mental statio on of Toukou unous, Niger. Abdou ulkarim Issa Ibrahim m1,2*, Rianatou Bada a-Alambéd dji, Jean- Noël Duprrez, Nassim Moula , Marjorie Bardiau and Jacqu ues G. Microbiology y, Immunolog gy and Infectiious Patholog gy, Interstate e school of V eterinary Sciience and Me edicine, BP. De epartment of Animal Prod duction, Facu ulty of Veterin nary Medicine e, University of Liege, Bo oulevard de C. Received 6 Novemberr, 2014; Accepte d 2 February, 20 onditions du uring milking g are essen ntial in dairy y cattle to e ensure the h highest leve el of milk
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