Vol. 12, Issue 7 (2023)

Mastitis is a common and economically important disease in goats, causing significant losses in the dairy sector due to reduced milk production, lower milk quality, and higher treatment costs. Staphylococcus aureus is a well-known pathogen responsible for both symptomatic and asymptomatic mastitis in goats worldwide. In this study, we investigated 34 S. aureus isolates from 57 milk samples collected from untreated goats with clinical mastitis in and around the Bikaner city region. The recovery rate of S. aureus isolates was found to be 59.64%.

We found that 20 isolates (58.82%) carried both the clfA and clfB genes, while two isolates (8.82%) lacked either of these genes. Among the total isolates, nine (26.41%) showed a 205 bp amplicon, indicating the presence of the clfB gene, and three isolates (8.82%) showed a 1000 bp amplicon, suggesting the presence of the clfA gene. The prevalence rates of clfA and clfB genes were 67.64% and 85.29%, respectively. Notably, 94.11% of the isolates harbored clumping factor genes. No variations were observed in the clfA and clfB genes among the studied samples. These findings provide valuable insights into the genetic characteristics and prevalence of clumping factors A and B (clfA and clfB genes) in S. aureus isolates associated with goat mastitis in the studied region.