The purpose of this study was to isolate fungi from the quarter milk of cow udders from several dairy herds and to identify the different genera and species involved in mastitis. A total of 2078 milk samples from normal, clinical and subclinical mastitis quarters from 22 dairy herds of 16 districts in the State of São Paulo, Brazil was utilized in this survey. Two hundred and fifty one (12.07%) fungi were isolated from the samples. Two hundred and eight of these (82.86%) were yeasts and 30 (11.95%) were moulds. The fungi were isolated in pure culture (24.77%) or in cultures mixed with bacteria (72.22%). The yeasts isolated were: Cryptococcus spp. (71 strains), Rhodotorula spp. (40), Candida spp. (68), Trichosporon cutaneum (21), Aureobasidium pullulans (7), and Pichia ohmeri (1). Moulds classified in following genera were also isolated: Aspergillus (3), Penicillium (3), Alternaria (3), Phoma (3), Epicoccum (2), and Geotrichum (16).

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of environmental mastitis in dauy herds and identify the main environmental pathogens, and to evaluate the influence of season, housing and management. A total of 20 310 quarters of 5216 animals from 52 dairy herds in 32 counties was examined. Milk samples were aseptically collected for laboratory examination from mammary glands testing positive to any of the field tests. From these, 736 environmental infections were identified. The most frequently isolated environmental pathogens were algae of the genus htothcca sp. (41.2%), Sbcptmccus nberis (21.

The major health problems found in 103 captive lesser anteaters (Tamandua tetradactyla) and giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), family Myrmecophagidae, are presented and correlated with management. The most common of 200 recorded clinical disorders involved the digestive system (26%), nutritional deficiency (20%), injury (15.5%), respiratory system (10%), skin (7%) and circulatory system (4.5%), but 13% of the cases were inconclusive. Parasites were identified in 48.5% of faecal samples, mainly the eggs of nematodes (40%), of which the commonest were Trichuris spp (28%) and Strongyloides spp (11%); protozoa (16%), of which the commonest were Eimeria spp (10%), Entamoeba spp (5%) and Giardia spp (1%); and cestodes (8%) and acanthocephalids (1%). Bacteria cultured from the various materials included Salmonella enteritidis, S. cholerasuis, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Streptococcus spp and Staphylococcus spp. The ectoparasites found were Amblyomma spp and Otodectis spp (Arthropoda, Acaridae).

Summary Prototheca sp., a colourless algae, is quite common in dairy environments, particularly in wet areas contaminated with manure. The main purpose of this paper is to describe an outbreak of clinical bovine mastitis in an 86‐cow dairy herd in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Prototheca sp., an achlorophyllous algae, were isolated on blood agar (incubated for 24 h at 37 °C) from 11 quarters of seven lactating Holstein cows, and from one quarter of a cow at the end of the dry period. Treatments were applied, but there was only a microbiological cure, not a functional one. Diagnosis of Prototheca sp. in any of the cows in the herd indicates a herd problem. Infected animals usually have markedly reduced milk production and granulamatous changes often occur in the mammary gland. All sources of contact between the teat ends and drainage water or damp areas should be corrected. An all‐out effort for strict sanitation, including during milking, should be made so that the teat ends will not become contaminated.

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