Abstract
Subclinical mastitis is an economically important disease of dairy cows and has a prominent place amongst the factors that limit milk production. This study was undertaken to determine the association of somatic cell counts (SCC) and occurrence of bacteria with SCM in smallholder dairy cows in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. A total number of 240 quarters milk samples from apparently healthy lactating cows were subjected to SCC using NucleoCounter® SCC-100 ™ (Chemo Metec). A quarter was considered SCM positive if the quarter had SCC>100 x 103 cells/ml. All subclinical mastitis positive quarter milk samples were subjected to bacteriological examination and isolates were classified into major, minor, uncommon and mixed pathogens. The overall quarter-level prevalence of subclinical mastitis of dairy cows in Mymensingh district was 25% (95% CI, 19.52% to 30.48%). The most frequently isolated bacterial species were Staphylococcus aureus (18.33%) followed by coagulase-negative staphylococci (10%), Enterobacter spp. (6.67%), Escherichia coli (5%), Bacillus spp. (5%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5%). Different bacterial isolates were associated with 90% cases of subclinical mastitis as mono infections or mixed infections. Mono and mixed infections significantly influenced SCC and were the most prominent factors responsible for increasing SCC. Mean SCC was the highest for Bacillus spp. (713.67 x 103 cells/ml) followed by Enterobacter spp. (395.75 x 103 cells/ml), Escherichia coli (386.00 x 103 cells/ml), Staphylococcus aureus (373.82 x 103 cells/ml), coagulase-negative staphylococci (182.67 x 103 cells/ml) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (138.67 x 103 cells/ml). Major pathogens induced higher SCC (380.72 x 103cells/ml) than minor and other pathogen groups.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 15(2): 266-271, December 2017
Highlights
Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland which, together with physical, chemical and microbiological changes, is characterized by an increase in the number of somatic cells in the milk and by pathological changes in the mammary tissue (Gianneechini et al, 2002)
Prevalence of subclinical mastitis and associated bacteria Results of somatic cell counts (SCC) of 240 quarter milk samples revealed that the overall quarter-level prevalence of SCM was 25% (Table 1)
Effect of bacterial isolates on mean SCC The mean SCC of subclinical mastitic mammary quarters according to the types of individual bacteria and bacterial group are presented in Table 2 and 3, respectively
Summary
Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland which, together with physical, chemical and microbiological changes, is characterized by an increase in the number of somatic cells in the milk and by pathological changes in the mammary tissue (Gianneechini et al, 2002). Bacterial pathogens are considered to be the major threat to mammary gland. In Asia, major mastitis causing organisms are Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococci, E. coli, Corynebacterium spp. and Klebsella spp. There are no visible abnormalities of the milk or udder instead there is a high somatic cell count in subclinical mastitis (Radostits et al, 2007). A large number of bacteria have been isolated as causal agents of SCM in dairy cows throughout the world Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., E. coli, Bacillus spp., and Corynebacterium spp. have mostly been isolated from
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
