Characterization of the Main Etiological Factors of the Occurrence of Mastitis in Cows in the Conditions of "Poltavazernoprodukt"

Abstract

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 %.