Bacteria involved in subclinical mastitis in goats in the region of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

Mastitis is a common infection of the mammary gland, the main disease affecting the udder of females, and responsible for major losses in milk production in goats, decreasing the quantity and quality of the milk and its derivatives. In this study milk samples were collected from goats with positive reaction to CMT in properties located in Bonfim de Feira, Barra do Pojuca, Feira de Santana, Camaçari, Anguera and Antônio Cardoso, all of which are places surrounding the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The samples were submitted to bacteriological culture carried out in agar with 10% sheep blood, McConkey agar, and agar enriched with BHI broth. Staphylococcus spp. bacteria was the most prevalent (90.3%), followed by Streptococcus (4.8%), Micrococcus (1.6%) and Enterobacter (1.6%). All bacteria were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing by the disc diffusion method, revealing that 54.1% of the strains studied were sensitive to all drugs tested, while 45.9% of identified strains showed resistance to at least one of antimicrobials. The present study confirmed Staphylococcus spp. as the main bacteria involved in the etiology of subclinical goat mastitis.