Abstract
It has been established by various researchers that bovine mastitis which is simply an inflammation of mammary gland is a complex and costly diseases in dairy herds globally. This study therefore was aimed at assessing the prevalence of clinical and subclinical mastitis among lactating bovines from pastoral herds. A total of 147 bovines were selected from 30 pastoral herds within 7 Fulani settlements in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Prevalence of Clinical mastitis was assessed by the result of physical examination of udders and milk by palpation and visual inspection. The California Mastitis Reagent was used according to the manufacturer’s instructions to detect the prevalence of Subclinical Mastitis. The CMT positive samples were bacteriologically analyzed following standard microbiological procedures for the presence of coliform bacteria. The results obtained revealed that 19.7% (29/147) of animals examined was positive for subclinical mastitis at cow level. The highest prevalence of subclinical mastitis was recorded among bovines from settlements G in Birnin Local Government Area of Kaduna State, while bovine’s raw milk samples collected from settlements C and E in Chikun and Zaria Local Government Areas of Kaduna State haboured the lowest number of 1(0.7%) each, and no Coliform bacteria (0.00%) was isolated in the samples collected from settlement D in Soba Local Government Area. In this study, a total prevalence of 8.2% was established for coliforms associated with subclinical mastitis among pastoral herds based on phenotypic identification. Furthermore, the species of coliforms associated with bovine mastitis within the study population based on the findings in this study were (Klebsiella pneumonia) 7(4.8%) and (Escherichia coli) 5(3.4%). Hence, this study confirmed that the consumption of raw milk from CMT positive commercial bovines is a potential threat to public health as the isolated species of coliforms have been implicated in several human diseases.
Highlights
In Nigeria, livestock represents an integral part of the agricultural system, especially in the northern part of the country [1]
The higher prevalence of subclinical mastitis was recorded among bovines from settlements G and A in Birnin Gwari and Giwa Local Government Areas of Kaduna State respectively (Table 1), while the raw milk samples of bovines collected from settlements C and E in Chikun and Zaria Local Government Areas of Kaduna State had the lowest prevalence of 1(0.7%) each, and no coliform bacteria (0.00%) was isolated in the samples collected from settlement D in Soba Local Government Area (Table 1)
The results of bacteriological, biochemical and Microgen identification of bovines raw milk samples revealed that settlements G in Birnin Gwari Local Government Areas of Kaduna State haboured the higher number 4(2.7%) of Coliform bacteria, while bovine’s raw milk samples collected from settlements C and E in Chikun and Zaria Local Government Areas of Kaduna State haboured the highest number of 1(0.7%) each, and no Coliform bacteria (0.00%) was isolated in the samples collected from settlement D in Soba Local Government Area (Table 1)
Summary
In Nigeria, livestock represents an integral part of the agricultural system, especially in the northern part of the country [1]. Among all the livestock that makes up the farm animals in Nigeria, ruminants comprising of sheep, goat, and cattle, constitutes the farm animals largely reared [1]. Nigeria has a population of about 13.9 million cattle, 34.5 million goats, 22.1 million sheep [1]. According to Shittu, et al [2], it is of great economic importance to improve on livestock production which is one of the ample national resources in Nigeria. The potential for increasing livestock production in Nigeria can only be fully realized if the animals are adequately protected against the adverse effects of diseases such as mastitis [2].
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