BOVINE MASTITIS: PREVALENCE, RISK FACTORS AND MAJOR BACTERIAL PATHOGENS IN LACTATING COWS IN SELECTED DISTRICTS OF GAMO ZONE, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mastitis has been known to cause a great deal of loss of productivity as it has major economic importance. In the study area, there is little current information on bovine mastitis. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2020 to September 2020 in selected districts of Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia with the objectives of determining the overall prevalence of bovine mastitis, associated risk factors and isolation of the major pathogenic bacteria. A total of 422 lactating cows were examined for mastitis using clinical examination and California mastitis test. An overall prevalence of mastitis recorded in the area was 17.1% (72/422), of which 1.9% (8/422) was clinical and 15.2% (64/422) subclinical cases. Out of 1662 quarters examined 7.94% (132/1662) were found positive. Bacteriological methods were also employed to isolate the major pathogenic bacterial species associated with bovine mastitis. From a total of 72 cow level samples, growth of 6 different groups of bacteria was observed in 64 (88.9%) samples. The most predominant bacterial pathogen isolated were Staphylococcus aureus (42.6%) followed by Streptococcus species (26.2%), Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus (14.8%), and E. coli (11.5%). Salmonella species (3.3%) and Klebsiella pneumonia (1.6%) were the least isolated bacterial pathogens. Among different risk factors breed, parity, udder position and tick infestation of the udder were found to have statistically significant difference (P-value<0.05) on the occurrence of mastitis. In conclusion, the present study revealed that mastitis is one of the health problems affecting dairy cows in the study area. Enhancing the awareness of dairy farmers, regular screening, and improving the hygienic condition are critically important to prevent and control