Evaluation of the Prevalence of Subclinical Mastitis in Dairy Cattle in the Soummam Valley (Bejaia, Algeria)
Abstract
The present study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of subclinical mastitis (SCM) in milking cows and the effect of farming system on the prevalence of SCM”, as well as the identification of bacterial strains causing the mammary gland infection. A total of 100 dairy cows were randomly selected from 32 farms of Bejaia district (Algeria), precisely the Soummam region: from Tazmalt to El Kseur. The SCM was screened by California Mastitis Test (CMT). Milk samples were collected aseptically from (CMT) positive cows and dispatched to laboratory for further microbiological tests. Results showed that the prevalence of SCM was 26%. Moreover, no significant differences in SCM prevalence were observed between intensive and semi intensive systems (P>0.05). The Staphylococcus aureus was found to be the most frequent bacterium species associated with SCM in the cows studied.
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