EFFICACY OF DRY COW THERAPY ON THE PERSISTENCE OF COMMON CONTAGIOUS PATHOGENS IN BOVINE UDDER IN WAYANAD DISTRICT
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Date
2023-03-03
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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES POOKODE, WAYANAD, KERALA VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY
Abstract
Mastitis is the most important economically important disease in dairy cattle worldwide. Cows are particularly susceptible to new intramammary infections during the early dry period and around calving and the quarters that are sub clinically infected during this period can later develop clinical mastitis. The present study was conducted to asses the prophylactic effect of intramammary Ceftiofur and internal teat sealant during the dry period and the subsequent lactation. A total of 30 apparently healthy cross bred, pregnant cows in their later stage of pregnancy were screened for presence of contagious mastitis pathogens. From the secretion taken from 48 hours after cessation of milking, a total of 118 bacterial isolates were obtained from 108 quarters. Sixteen per cent of the isolates were coagulase positive Staphylococci, of which 11.8 per cent was S. aureus and 4.2 per cent was non-aureus Staphylococci which included three S. hyicus and two S. pseudointermedius. Coagulase negative Staphylococci (CNS) comprised of 50.8 per cent of the total isolates, which included 22 S. chromogens, 14 S. xylosus, 12 S. saprophyticus, six S. hominis and S. epidermidis each. St. agalactiae constituted 27.1 per cent of the isolates. Other bacteria isolated include Micrococcus spp., E. coli and Klebsiella spp. Molecular confirmation of S. aureus, St. agalactiae, CNS, were done by targeting nuc, 16SrRNA and cns gene respectively. Antibiogram studies of the isolates were done and genotypic profiling of the resistance gene were also carried out using tetM, blaZ, gyrA, parC and mecA gene. Phenotypic identification of biofilm formation of the isolates was done and is compared with presence of biofilm associated genes icaA, icaD and bap. Selected animals were grouped into three groups with six animals each. One group was given Ceftiofur intramammary along with teat sealant, the second group was given teat sealant only, and the third group was left as infected control. Bacteriological cure rate after calving was assessed in the three groups. Group one and group two showed a high significant reduction in the mastitis causing pathogen with a cure rate of 91.6 per cent and 83.3 per cent respectively compared to control group (25 per cent). This study revealed that antibiotic dry cow therapy in combination with teat sealant was highly effective compared to dry cow therapy with teat sealant alone. However, the dry period therapy did not significantly reduce the incidence of mastitis case during the first 30 days of dry period, but the quarter wise occurrence of mastitis was low in group one (16.6 per cent) compared to group two (33.3 per cent). This study showed that apart from the use of dry cow therapy, proper management practices are also having an important role in reducing the incidence of mastitis.