Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate somatic cell count (SCC), prevalence and etiology of mastitis in a dairy buffalo herd from Analândia, São Paulo State, Brazil, in the dry and rainy seasons. Additionally, antimicrobial susceptibility profile of microorganisms isolated from milk samples was also evaluated. 1,042 milk samples from female Murrah buffaloes in a dairy farm located in Analândia, São Paulo State, Brazil, collected between May 2011 and November 2012 were analyzed. After the mammary gland physical examination, strip cup test and California Mastitis Test (CMT) were performed. Afterwards, 50mL of milk samples from each mammary quarter were collected aseptically for SCC in automatic equipment and microbiological examination. The antimicrobial sensitivity profile to ampicillin, cefoperazone, ceftiofur, enrofloxacin, gentamicin, neomycin, oxacillin, penicillin, and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim was evaluated by disk diffusion method. The monthly average temperature and pluviometric index were obtained from "Centro Integrado de Informações Agrometeorológicas" (CIIAGRO) of "Instituto Agronômico de Campinas" (IAC). Milk samples with positive results in the microbiological test showed average SCC of 137,720 cells/mL in the dry period and 190,309 cells/mL in the rainy period. Although a higher number of isolated microorganisms was observed in buffalo milk samples during the rainy period (69/600) compared to the dry period (50/442), the season had no significant effect on the frequency of isolation of microorganisms. The main genera of microorganisms isolated were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (38.4%), Streptococcus agalactiae(28.8%), and Bacillus spp. (7.56%) during the dry season and Corynebacterium sp. (23.5%), Streptococcus spp. (32.3%), and Streptococcus agalactiae (9.24%) during the rainy period. Multidrug resistance was observed in 30.1% of the isolated microorganisms.
Highlights
The Brazilian buffalo herd in 2011 was 1.3 million animals and São Paulo State had the sixth largest herd of the country with 75,700 buffaloes (5.9%) (Instituto..., 2012)
The buffaloes, as well as bovines, may present mastitis, resulting in decreased milk production, changes in concentration of milk components and increase in somatic cell count (SCC), which varies according to the intensity and length of inflammation (Hamza and Choudhuri, 1994)
The aim of this study was to evaluate SCC, prevalence and etiology of mastitis in dairy buffaloes in dry and rainy seasons in a herd raised in Analândia, São Paulo State, Brazil
Summary
The Brazilian buffalo herd in 2011 was 1.3 million animals and São Paulo State had the sixth largest herd of the country with 75,700 buffaloes (5.9%) (Instituto..., 2012). The Brazilian production of buffalo milk and its derivatives has been growing annually, in Southeast region, due to the appreciation of the physicochemical characteristics of buffalo milk (Madella-Oliveira et al, 2005). Studies report seasonal influence in isolation of microorganisms which cause mastitis in cows in Brazil (Ferreira et al, 2006; Zafalon et al, 2008) and buffaloes in Turkey (Özenç et al, 2008; Gürler et al, 2013). The aim of this study was to evaluate SCC, prevalence and etiology of mastitis in dairy buffaloes in dry and rainy seasons in a herd raised in Analândia, São Paulo State, Brazil. The antimicrobial susceptibility profile of microorganisms isolated from milk samples was evaluated
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