Occurrence of fungal agents in mastitis in dairy goats

Abstract

Intramammary infections (mastitis) in goats constitute an enormous animal health problem, alter milk composition, lower the hygienic value of milk, impair the processing properties of milk and cause high economic losses in dairy farming today. The objective of the present study was to identify the fungal agents in milk samples of hair goats. A total of 170 milk samples were collected from the goats with clinical and subclinical mastitis and clinically healthy animals. The samples were collected from the beginning stages of lactation on goats located in Van region, Turkey. The samples (approximately 10 ml) were obtained in sterilised sample bottles and transferred immediately to the laboratory and California mastitis test was carried out. Milk samples were centrifuged at 4000 rpm for 10 min and sediments were cultivated on sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) by sterile cotton swabs. Petri dishes were incubated at both 25°C and 37°C for 5 weeks. Fungal agents were isolated from 19 (11.1%) of 170 goat milk samples. In culture, 3 (1.7%) milk samples were positive for Candida (C.) albicans, 2 (1.1%) for C. lusitaniae, 1 (0.5%) for C. parapsilosis, 1 (0.5%) for C. glabrata, 2 (1.1%) for Cryptococcus neoformans, 1 (%0.6%) for Nocardia spp., 4 (2.3%) for Penicillium spp., 3 (1.7%) for Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, 2 for (1.1%) Aspergillus fumigatus. All clinical mastitis samples were found to be negative for fungi. In conclusion, bacteria are believed to be the major cause of mastitis, but present study indicated that fungi are responsible as primarily aetiological agents of mastitis in goats.