Abstract
Simple SummaryA study was carried out from August 2017 to February 2018 on lactating dairy cows, one-humped dromedary camels, and goats to determine mastitis in the Bule Hora and Dugda Dawa districts of in Southern Ethiopia. Milk samples from 564 udder quarters and udder halves from 171 animals consisting of 60 dairy cows, 51 camels, and 60 goats were tested for mastitis. Sixty-four positive udder milk samples were cultured, and bacterial mastitis pathogens were isolated and identified. The antibiotic resistance of bacterial isolates from milk with mastitis was tested against nine antimicrobials commonly used in the study area. Cow-level prevalence of mastitis in dairy cows, camels, and goats was 33.3%, 26.3%, and 25%, respectively. The quarter-level prevalence of mastitis in cows, camels and goats was 17.6%, 14.5%, and 20%, respectively. In cattle, the prevalence was significantly higher in Dugda Dawa than in Bule Hora. Major bacterial isolates were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species (39.1%), S. aureus (17.2%), S. hyicus (14.1%), and S. intermedius and Escherichia coli (9.4% each). In camels, udder abnormality and mastitis were significantly higher in late lactation than in early lactation. Mastitis tends to increase with parity in camels. E. coli isolates were highly resistant to spectinomycin, vancomycin, and doxycycline, whereas most S. aureus isolates were multidrug-resistant. Most of the rural and periurban communities in this area consume raw milk, which indicates a high risk of infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria. We recommend community-focused training programs to improve community awareness of the risk of raw milk consumption and the need to boil milk.A study was carried out from August 2017 to February 2018 on lactating dairy cows, one-humped dromedary camels, and goats to determine mastitis in the Bule Hora and Dugda Dawa districts of in Southern Ethiopia. Milk samples from 564 udder quarters and udder halves from 171 animals consisting of 60 dairy cows, 51 camels, and 60 goats were tested for mastitis. Sixty-four positive udder milk samples were cultured, and bacterial mastitis pathogens were isolated and identified. The antibiotic resistance of bacterial isolates from milk with mastitis was tested against nine antimicrobials commonly used in the study area. Cow- and quarter-level prevalence of mastitis in dairy cows, camels, and goats was 33.3%, 26.3%, and 25% and 17.6%, 14.5%, and 20%, respectively. In cattle, the prevalence was significantly higher in Dugda Dawa than in Bule Hora. Major bacterial isolates were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species (39.1%), S. aureus (17.2%), S. hyicus (14.1%), and S. intermedius and Escherichia coli (9.4% each). In camels, udder abnormality and mastitis were significantly higher in late lactation than in early lactation. Mastitis tends to increase with parity in camels. E. coli isolates were highly resistant to spectinomycin, vancomycin, and doxycycline, whereas most S. aureus isolates were multidrug-resistant. Most of the rural and periurban communities in this area consume raw milk, which indicates a high risk of infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria. We recommend a community-focused training program to improve community awareness of the need to boil milk and the risk of raw milk consumption.
Highlights
Mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary gland caused by an infection, trauma, or injury to the udder, is one of the most common diseases of dairy animals that affects the wellbeing of livestock populations in this study area [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
Unlike the sedentary production system in the mid-highlands and highlands of Ethiopia, where cattle are the major dairy animals, camels and goats are reared for milk production in the lowlands of Ethiopia
Getahun et al [18] reported a high prevalence of 54.7%, 22.3%, and 10.1% of subclinical mastitis and a low prevalence of 8.3%, 1.8%, and 0.51% of clinical mastitis at the herd, cow, and quarter levels, respectively, in crossbreed lactating cows from smallholder dairy farms in the Sellalle area of Central Ethiopia
Summary
An inflammation of the mammary gland caused by an infection, trauma, or injury to the udder, is one of the most common diseases of dairy animals that affects the wellbeing of livestock populations in this study area [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. About 137 infectious agents are known to cause mastitis in large domestic animals, of which bacteria are the major ones [13]. The most common bacteria that cause mastitis are Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and coliform bacteria (E. coli, Klebsiella spp., and Enterobacter spp.) [14]. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the leading causes of mastitis in dairy cattle in Ethiopia [3,15,16,17], resulting in significant economic losses due to direct and indirect costs [10]. Streptococcus spp. and coliform bacteria are frequently reported to cause mastitis in Ethiopia [3,5,17,18]
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