HYGIENIC ASPECTS ON FUNGAL CONTAMINATION OF MILKING ENVIRONMENT OF SOME DAIRY FARMS الجوانب الصحية للملوثات الفطرية فى بيئة إنتاج اللبن لبعض مزارع الماشية الحلوب

Abstract

Dairy environment is an integral part of dairy herd management and milk production. Proper management of herd health involves, preventing animal infection and milk contamination. The present investigation was conducted in three different dairy farms in Assiut Province, included Fac. of Agriculture; Fac. of Vet. Medicine and Secondary School of Agriculture. A total number of 432 random samples (represented by 72 samples of air; 72 wall surfaces swabs; 72 udder and teat surfaces swabs; 54 milker’s hands swabs; 18 teat cups swabs; 72 milk equipments swabs and 72 milk samples) were collected from the milking units of the experimented dairy farms and examined mycologically to evaluate the distribution of pathogenic and potentially pathogenic moulds and yeasts and their role in milk contamination. Variable loads of total mould and yeast counts/unit were detected. Maximum mean count of total moulds and yeasts of 3.52 x10 4 1.26 / m 3 was estimated in air samples, while minimum mean count of 2.6 x10  0.78 / ml was detected in milk samples of the milking stalls of Vet. Medicine Hospital. Maximum of total mould and yeast counts were (6x10 4 / m 3) in air samples of the milking premise of Vet. Medicine Hospital, and (6 x 10 4 / m 2) in inner wall surfaces swabs; (4.2x10 4 / m 2) in udder and teat surfaces swabs in Fac. of Agriculture farm. Minimum of total mould and yeast counts were (0.1x10 / ml) and (0.2x10 / ml) in examined milk sampled from Secondary School of Agricultu re and Fac. of Vet. Medicine farms respectively. Wide varieties of 790 isolates of fungi and yeasts belonged to 13 genera of moulds and yeasts could be isolated from all examined specimens with variable incidence and frequency percentages of major animal and public health significance included Aspergilli (A. flavus; A. fumigatus; A. clavatus; A. glaucus; A. candidum; A. terreus; A. versicolor and A. niger); Cladosporium; Pacilomyces; Mucor; Curvolaria; Trichoderma; Microsporum gypseum; Trichophyton terrestre; Penicillium (P. chrysogenum; P. citrinum; P. funiculosum and P. species); Cladosporum; Fusarium; Alternaria; Demataciae; Rhodotorula; Candida albicans and other mould and yeast species. The obtained results revealed a positive correlation between the load of fungal contamination of milk and contamination loads of its surrounding environment that represented by the high counts of moulds and yeasts in examined milk samples which were also corresponded by high mould and yeast counts of the same pattern in case of examined swabs of the inner wall surfaces; udder and teat surfaces and milker’s hands. The major of animal and public health significance of the isolated mould and yeast