Subclinical mastitis in ewes and its effect on lamb performance

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to 1) assess the effectiveness of the California mastitis test (CMT) relative to direct microscopic somatic cell count (DMSCC) and(or) somatic cell count (SCC) procedures for detecting subclinical mastitis in ewes, 2) determine the incidence of subclinical mastitis based on repeated or single sample measures and organisms associated with the inflammation, and 3) assess the relationship between milk quality measures and lamb performance. The relationship between DMSCC and SCC scores was significant (P less than .01); 90% of the variation in DMSCC scores was accounted for by SCC scores. In contrast, CMT scores accounted for only 26% of the variation in DMSCC and 30 to 34% of the variation in SCC scores. Incidence of inflammation varied from 17 to 50% of ewes tested, depending on the study and the method of assessment. Staphylococcus species were cultured from 14/41 samples tested, with cultures of Streptococcus species (3/41) and Micrococcus species (1/41) also present. The effect of subclinical mastitis in ewes on lamb performance was minimal when assessed by regressing lamb weights on subclinical mastitis and milk quality scores. In conclusion, growth performance of lambs in a management system where they had access to supplemental feed was not influenced by the quality of milk produced by ewes, or by the degree of subclinical mastitic inflammation present when they suckled.

Prevalence and etiology of subclinical mastitis in dairy ewes in two seasons in Semnan province, Iran

“…On the other side, the most frequent pathogen isolated from subclinical cases in our study in spring was CNS (66.6 % of isolations) and, in summer, was S. aureus. CNS have been reported to be the major cause of non-clinical IMIs in a number of previous investigations (Beheshti et al 2010;Watson and Buswell 1984;Hueston et al 1986;Bor et al 1989;Keisler et al 1992;McDougall et al 2002;Batavani et al 2003). Comparison between the severity of SCM and pathogens showed that the S. aureus could intensify SCM.…”

Etiologia e perfil de sensibilidade de bactérias isoladas de ovelhas com mastite na região nordeste do estado do Pará

“…Algumas pesquisas relatam que o CMT usado no campo para detectar infecções subclínicas em ovelhas é menos seguro e demonstram que a capacidade desse teste em predizer as infecções, depende da prevalência e dos agentes presentes no rebanho (Hueston et al 1986, Keisler et al 1992. Quanto à utilização, o CMT é considerado um teste subjetivo para ovinos, razão pela qual a padronização do teste é feita para o leite de bovino, pois o CMT é mais acurado nesta espécie (Green 1984, Maisi et al 1987.…”

“…A bactéria isolada com maior frequência nas amostras Keisler et al (1992), Fthenakis (1994), Stefanakis et al (1995) e Burriel (1997. O Staphylococcus coagulase negativo é considerado, por alguns autores, como patógeno secundário ou oportunista presente na microbiota da pele do teto dos animais.…”

Perfil celular e microbiológico do leite de ovelhas Santa Inês no período lactante e pós-desmame

“…A mastite também está associada com a performance dos cordeiros (Burris & Baugus 1955, Torre-Hernandez & Hohenboken 1979, Fthenakis & Jones 1990) descarte de ovelhas, mortes (Watson & Buswell 1984), custos com tratamentos (Keisler et al 1992), gastos adicionais com mão-de-obra (Larsgrad & Vaabenoe 1993) e alteração na composição do leite (Green 1984, Hueston et al 1986b.…”

“…Este processo inflamatório pode ser diagnosticado pela inspeção e palpação, e ainda por exames complementares que avaliem a celularidade do leite e o isolamento de agentes patogênicos (Keisler et al 1992).…”