Prevalence of mastitis in dairy goat farms in Eastern Algeria

Seasonal assessment of mastitis in crossbred goats: A thermographic approach

Sub-clinical mastitis exhibits a higher prevalence in dairy goats than clinical mastitis, necessitating the adoption of non-invasive diagnostic techniques such as infrared thermography (IRT) to detect this economically significant production disease in the dairy sector. Accordingly, this study aims to employ IR imaging of the udder and teat quarters of lactating crossbred goats (Alpine × Beetal and Sanen × Beetal) across various seasons, utilising IRT, to discern cases of sub-clinical (SCM) and clinical mastitis (CM). Over a year, 100-110 lactating crossbred dairy goats underwent consistent IRT screenings, followed by a comprehensive evaluation of udder health status using the California mastitis test and somatic cell count (SCC). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to establish the cut-off values for different thermographic parameters in this study. The results revealed that the SCC increased significantly (p < 0.01) in healthy, SCM, and CM milk samples across the seasons. The analysis of ROC revealed a comparatively higher sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for udder thermograms during SCM than CM and vice versa for teat thermograms. IRT analysis reflected a difference (p < 0.01) in the udder and teat thermograms among quarters of healthy, SCM, and CM in summer, winter, autumn, and rainy seasons. A significant increase (p < 0.01) in udder thermograms was observed for quarters affected with SCM and CM relative to healthy, with an increase of 1.89 and 2.94 °C in winter, 0.85 and 1.63 °C in summer, 0.73 and 1.41 °C in rainy, and 1.33 and 2.38 °C in autumn, respectively. Similarly, for teat thermograms it was 1.79 and 2.81 °C in winter, 0.76 and 1.41 °C in summer, 0.70 and 1.37 °C in rainy, and 1.09 and 1.93 °C in autumn, respectively. Therefore, regardless of the seasons examined in this study, IRT proves to be an effective and supportive tool for early mastitis detection in lactating crossbred dairy goats.

Diverse roles of glucocorticoids in the ruminant mammary gland: modulation of mammary growth, milk production, and mastitis

As endocrine hormones, glucocorticoids (GCs) play a pivotal role in numerous physiological processes, including mammary growth and lactation, circulatory metabolism, and responses to external stimuli. In the dairy industry, milk production from cows or goats is important for newborns and economic benefits. However, the milk yields from ruminant animals are always affected by the extent of mammary development, mammary disease, stress, or changes in metabolism. Thus, it is necessary to clarify how GCs changes in ruminants affect ruminant mammary gland function and mammary disease. This review summarizes the findings identifying that GCs modulate mammary gland development before lactation, but the stress-induced excessive release of GCs leads to milk production loss. In addition, the manner of GCs release may change under different concentrations of metabolites or during mastitis or inflammatory challenge. Nevertheless, exogenous GCs administration to animals may alleviate the clinical symptoms of mastitis. This review demonstrates that GCs offer a fascinating contribution to both physiologic and pathogenic conditions of the mammary gland in ruminant animals. Characterizing and understanding these changes or functions of endogenous and exogenous GCs in animals will be crucial for developing more endocrine regulators and therapies for improving milk production in ruminants.

Prevalence of mastitis in dairy animals in Indonesia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and Aim

Mastitis is an important disease that can reduce milk production and farmer income as well as negatively affect human health. This study aimed to summarize dairy mastitis in Indonesia, both subclinical mastitis (SCM) and clinical mastitis (CM), and its prevalence in different provinces, the diagnostic methods, and the animal species.

Materials and Methods

Relevant studies on mastitis in dairy animals in Indonesia were obtained from PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Google Scholar, and Garuda. The title and abstract were screened for the eligibility of the studies. The full text of the selected studies was assessed and the data were extracted for analysis. To determine the pooled estimate of the prevalence of mastitis, a random-effects model was performed using the "Meta" and "Metaphor" packages in the R software version 4.2.2. The heterogeneity of several characteristics (mastitis type, provinces, animal species, and diagnostic methods) was evaluated through subgroup meta-analysis. Meta-regression analysis was conducted to assess the trend of mastitis prevalence reports over time. Publication bias was evaluated using Egger's test and a funnel plot.

Results

A total of 735 studies were retrieved for the title and abstract screening, which resulted in the final selection of 37 studies with a total of 6050 samples for meta-analysis. The pooled estimate of mastitis prevalence in dairy animals in Indonesia was 59.44% (95% confidence interval [CI], 52.39%-66.49%). Based on mastitis type, SCM had a significantly higher prevalence than CM (58.24% [95% CI, 51.26%-65.23%] vs. 3.31% [95% CI, 1.42%-5.19%]). No significant difference was observed in the analysis of other subgroups. Among provinces, Central Java had the highest prevalence (66.62% [95% CI, 49.37%-83.87%]), whereas Yogyakarta had the lowest (41.77% [95% CI, 14.96%-68.58%]). Based on animal species, cow and goat had a prevalence of 63.42% (95% CI, 55.97%-70.86%) and 44.96% (95% CI, 28.26%-61.66%), respectively. Based on the diagnostic method, the California mastitis test resulted in 60.08% (95% CI, 52.11%-68.06%) and the Institut Pertanian Bogor test, 56.00% (95% CI, 41.20%-70.81%). No significant change in the prevalence of mastitis in Indonesia was observed from 2003 to 2022.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that the pooled estimate of mastitis prevalence in dairy animals in Indonesia is >50%. Based on subgroup analysis, SCM had a higher prevalence than CM; however, the prevalence between provinces, detection methods, and animal species in the 2003-2022 periods was not significantly different. A mastitis control strategy needs to be developed to reduce the prevalence of mastitis and further loss in milk production.

Epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of staphylococci other than Staphylococcus aureus from domestic animals and livestock in Africa: a systematic review

Introduction

Staphylococci other than Staphylococcus aureus (SOSA) in animals are becoming more pathogenic and antibiotic resistant and can potentially disseminate to humans. However, there is little synthesized information regarding SOSA from animals in Africa. This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of SOSA in companion animals (pets) and livestock in Africa.

Method

This systematic review (PROSPERO-CRD42021252303) was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines, and 75 eligible studies from 13 countries were identified until August 2022. Three electronic databases (Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science) were employed.

Results

The frequently isolated SOSA were S. epidermidis, S. intermedius, S. pseudintermedius, S. xylosus, S. chromogenes, S. hyicus, M. sciuri, S. hominis, and S. haemolyticus. Thirty (40%) studies performed antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST). Penicillin (58%) and tetracycline (28%) resistance were most common across all SOSA with high rates of resistance to aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, and macrolides in some species. Resistance to last-resort antibiotics such as linezolid and fusidic acid were also reported. Limited data on strain typing and molecular resistance mechanisms precluded analysis of the clonal diversity of SOSA on the continent.

Conclusion

The findings of this review indicate that research on livestock-associated SOSA in Africa is lacking in some regions such as Central and Western Africa, furthermore, research on companion animals and more advanced methods for identification and strain typing of SOSA need to be encouraged.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42021252303.

Phenotypic characteristic of Staphylococcus aureus from subclinical mastitis in Etawah-crossbreed goats in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Background and Aim

Subclinical mastitis (SCM) in Etawah-grade (PE) goats in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, is commonly due to Staphylococcus aureus. At present, S. aureus from SCM in PE goats in Yogyakarta has not been characterized. Therefore, this study aimed to phenotypically characterize S. aureus, which has been isolated from SCM of PE goats.

Materials and Methods

A total of 314 lactating PE goats were collected from 60 PE goat farms (e.g., Sleman, Bantul, and Kulonprogo) located in parts of Yogyakarta with an average age of 3-4 years old, three of which showed SCM based on the California mastitis test (CMT). Subclinical mastitis is confirmed in PE goats if CMT shows ++ or +++. Furthermore, S. aureus was detected by biochemical assays. Staphylococcus aureus could determine hemolysin (Hae), coagulase (Coa), clumping factor (Cf), and antibiotic susceptibility. Hemolytic bacteria were detected by culturing on blood agar plate, and Cf was detected by slide agglutination. The production of Coa was detected by tube coagulation. Staphylococcus aureus susceptibility was determined by antimicrobial agar diffusion using a paper disc.

Results

Phenotypically characterized S. aureus from PE goats with SCM in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Coa-, Cf-, and Hae- were found to be resistant to erythromycin (ERYTHRO), ampicillin (AMP), penicillin (PEN-G), and sulfamethoxazole (SULFA).

Conclusion

The phenotypic characteristic of S. aureus, which was obtained from SCM in PE goats in Yogyakarta, consists of Coa, and Cf-. S. aureus cannot perform hemolysis of red blood cells. This phenotypic characteristic can prevent and control SCM in PE goats. Several antibiotics such as ERYTHRO, AMP, PEN-G, and SULFA were no longer effective for treating SCM in PE goats because S. aureus has developed its resistance to these antibiotics.

Analytical Methodology for a Metabolome Atlas of Goat's Plasma, Milk and Feces Using 1H-NMR and UHPLC-HRMS

Metabolomics has been increasingly used in animal and food sciences. Animal health is one of the most important factor that can also alter animal integrity and welfare. Some studies have already investigated the link between health and metabolic profile of dairy animals. These studies in metabolomics often consider a single type of sample using a single analytical platform (nuclear magnetic resonance or mass spectrometry). Only few studies with multi-platform approaches are also used with a single or a multi type of sample, but they mainly consider dairy cows’ metabolome although dairy goats present similar diseases, that it could be interesting to detect early to preserve animal health and milk production. This study aims to create a metabolic atlas of goat plasma, milk and feces, based on healthy animals. Our study describes a standard operating procedure for three goat matrices: blood plasma, milk, and feces using multiple platforms (NMR (¹H), UHPLC (RP)-MS and UHPLC (HILIC)-MS) that follows a unique sample preparation procedure for each sample type to be analyzed on multi-platforms basis. Our method was evaluated for its robustness and allowed a better characterization of goat metabolic profile in healthy conditions.

Multiresistant zoonotic pathogens isolated from goat milk in Northeastern Brazil

Dairy goats play a significant role in socio-economic, cultural, and nutritional development in many countries. This study aimed to identify multiresistant zoonotic pathogens causing mastitis in goats, in addition to characterizing them for the presence of resistance genes and phenotypic resistance. A total of 714 milk samples from 357 lactating goats in 12 farms in the Northeast region of Brazil were analyzed. The isolates were submitted to Matrix Associated Laser Desorption-Ionization - Time of Flight to identify bacterial species, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to search for resistance genes, and an antibiogram to evaluate the phenotypic profile of antimicrobial resistance. A total of 214 pathogens were identified and bacterial prevalence was 83.29 % (178/214) Staphylococcus spp.; 6.50 % (14/214) Micrococcus luteus; 3.73 % (8/214) Corynebacterium spp.; 2.80 % (6/214) Bacillus spp.; 1.38 % (3/214) Escherichia coli; 0.92 % (2/214) Enterobacter cloacae; 0.46 % (1/214) Aerococcus viridans; 0.46 % (1/214) Morganella morganii; and 0.46 % (1/214) Turicella otitidis. As for gene frequency, 64.60 % (115/178) of the isolates carried the blaZ gene; 37.07 % (66/178) norA; 22.47 % (40/178) tet(L); 16.85 % (30/178) tet(M); 14.04 % (25/178) norB; 8.42 % (15/178) vanA; 7.30 % (13/178) msrA; 6.41 % (5/178) tet-38; 4.49 % (8/178) norC; 2.25 % (4/178) mecA; and 0.56 % (1/178) vanB. Emerging multiresistant zoonotic pathogens are present in the goat milk production chain, especially the coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species that pose a risk to human and animal health.

Epidemiology and antibiogram of common mastitis-causing bacteria in Beetal goats

Background and Aim:

Mastitis has been identified as the most prevalent and economically imperative disease among dairy animals. Thus, understanding its common bacterial pathogens and risk factors is necessary to improve udder health at herd, region, or country level. However, scientific research on caprine mastitis, especially on Beetal breed, has remained to be insufficient in Pakistan. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology and antibiogram assay of common mastitis-causing bacterial agents, that is, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Escherichia coli, in dairy goats.

Materials and Methods:

In total, 500 Beetal goats, irrespective of age and those that were not treated with any kind of antimicrobial agents during the past 120 h, were screened using California Mastitis Test in Pattoki, Kasur District, whereas epidemiological factors were recorded. The milk samples of mastitic goats were then collected and processed using standard methods. Each sample was primarily cultured on nutrient agar. Using a specific medium, each bacterial colony was separated using several streak methods. Six antibiotic disks belonging to different antibiotic groups were used for antibiogram profiling of bacterial isolates. Chi-square test was used to assess the association of baseline characteristics and mastitis occurrence. Meanwhile, multivariable logistic regression (p<0.001) was utilized to determine the risk factors associated with positive and negative dichotomous outcome of mastitis.

Results:

The results revealed that the overall prevalence of goat mastitis was 309 (61.8%), in which 260 (52%) and 49 (9.8%) cases were positive for subclinical mastitis (SCM) and clinical mastitis (CM), respectively. Streptococcus and E. coli were found to be the predominant isolates causing SCM and CM, respectively (p<0.001). It was observed that amoxicillin+clavulanic acid was highly sensitive to isolates of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus and ceftiofur sodium to isolates of Streptococcus and E. coli., while enrofloxacin was found to be sensitive to isolates of Streptococcus and E. coli. Risk factors such as herd structure, deworming, vaccination, presence of ticks, use of teat dip and mineral supplements, feeding type, age, parity, housing, blood in the milk, milk leakage, milk taste, and milk yield were found to have the strongest association with mastitis occurrence, while ease of milking has moderate association.

Conclusion:

In the area examined, cases of SCM were found to be higher compared with that of CM, and ceftiofur sodium has been identified as the preferred treatment in both clinical and subclinical forms of caprine mastitis in Beetal goats. Risk factors for mastitis that was identified in this study can form the basis for the creation of an udder health control program specific for dairy goats. We hope our findings could raise awareness of the risk factors and treatment approaches for common mastitis-causing bacterial agents.