Prevalence and aetiology of mastitis in cows from two major Ethiopian dairies.
The study was undertaken to determine the aetiology and prevalence of mastitis in hand-milked cows (n = 186) in two major Ethiopian dairies. The California Mastitis Test and culturing for bacteria revealed that 21.5% of the cows were clinically infected and 38.2% had subclinical mastitis. Most mastitis pathogens isolated from milk samples testing positive by the California Mastitis Test were Gram-positive cocci. Staphylococci constituted 57% of the isolates, of which the predominant cause of bovine mastitis was Staphylococcus aureus (40.5%). Other mastitis pathogens isolated include streptococci (16.5%), coliforms (9%) and corynebacteria (5%). Retrospective analysis of farm records indicated that mastitis was the second most important cause of culling and accounted for 27% of the cows removed from these two dairies.
Workineh
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S
Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 34, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia.
Bayleyegn
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M
Mekonnen
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H
Potgieter
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LN
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D005260:Female; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006095:Gram-Positive Cocci / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008414:Mastitis, Bovine / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000472:pathogenicity