The article presents the results on the study of the main etiological factors for the occurrence of mastitis in the conditions of farms of the agricultural enterprise "Poltavazernoprodukt". Various pathologies of the mammary gland do not lose their relevance. They are among the leading causes leading to economic losses in farms due to lack of milk, reduction of its grade and culling of cows in the first lactation, or even after the first calving. The work was carried out throughout 2021 in the conditions of farms with intensive technologies for the production of marketable milk. The frequency of occurrence of mastitis was studied in the course of the research, the main etiological factors that influenced the frequency of their occurrence were determined. As a result of a complex of studies of cows at different stages of lactation, it was found that a combination of factors influenced the manifestation of mastitis. The problems were similar and the dynamics of detection of mastitis in cows also did not differ in both farms. The main cause that provoked the occurrence of mastitis was found to be the influence of the association of microorganisms on the mammary gland. After carrying out a complex of bacteriological studies of milk samples obtained from cows in experimental farms, we found that cultures of microorganisms were identified in milk: S. aureus, S. agalactiae, E. сoli, S. lactis, S. epidermidis. The species spectrum of microorganisms identified from milk depended on the form of mastitis. In clinical forms of mastitis, cultures of S. aureus (58.4%), S. agalactiae (28.3%) and E. сoli (13.2%) were more often identified. In subclinical forms of mastitis, the spectrum of isolated microflora was somewhat different, in particular, cultures of S. aureus were isolated in 40.2%, S. agalactiae - 24.5 %, S. lactis - 19.3 %, S. epidermidis - 10.2 %, E. сoli - 5.8%. A predisposing factor to the occurrence of mastitis in cows was the use of straw as bedding, which is a very good organic substrate for the development of microorganisms. Since we found the remains of damp bedding in the stalls on both farms, an additional factor of influence through bedding is also relevant. Factors of non-infectious origin that provoke the occurrence of mastitis, including various types of trauma, also occur, however, in the general structure of registered cases of mastitis, they did not exceed 3-5 %.

The article presents the results of establishing the effectiveness of the use of an experimental preparation based on iodine for various forms of cow mastitis in a farm for the production of commercial milk. Inflammation of the mammary gland is the most common condition in productive herds of cows. Subclinical mastitis, which does not manifest with typical clinical signs for this pathology, is a particular health hazard, but qualitative changes in milk are determined by laboratory tests. Also huge economic losses on farms are recorded during the diagnosis of clinical forms of mastitis in the livestock, which often lead to premature culling of cows, a decrease in the quantity and quality of milk received from them. A set of measures for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mastitis also requires constant expenditure of funds. The work was carried out during 2020 in a farm that specializes in the production of commercial milk. The experimental drug under study contains iodine as the main active ingredient, which has a pronounced bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect against a wide range of microorganisms - causative agents of mastitis. It also has a general stimulating effect on the immune system of the udder. As synergistic components, the experimental drug contains compounds with pronounced analgesic, decongestant and astringent effects at the site of the development of the pathological process. At the first stage of the research, the influence of the experimental drug on the qualitative characteristics of milk was determined. The number of somatic cells was determined in milk after application of the experimental agent after 24, 48, 72 hours and 7 days. At the second stage of the research, we compared the effectiveness of various methods for diagnosing subclinical mastitis in cows during the dry period. When we analyzed the data obtained on the effect of the investigated experimental drug based on iodine on the number of somatic cells in the milk of cows with subclinical and clinical (catarrhal and purulent-catarrhal) forms of mastitis, we established a positive dynamics of their gradual decrease. This indicator reached the maximum level of decrease on the seventh day after application of the drug, both in subclinical and in clinical forms (catarrhal and purulent-catarrhal) mastitis, which amounted to 298.6 ± 11.6; 308.6 ± 14.4 and 328.6 ± 34.4 th./ml. The introduction of a drug with a similar compositional composition for the main active ingredients, it was not possible to achieve a similar effect on the dynamics of the reduction of somatic cells.