Vol. 9, Issue 5 (2020)

Author(s):
A Sangeetha, S Balakrishnan, Atmakur Venkatesh, K Manimaran, M Dhanalakshmi and T Sivakumar

Abstract:
Bovine mastitis are caused by wide range of microorganisms. A high proportion of all clinical mastitis is caused by Gram-negative bacteria, mostly coliforms, including Escherichia coli, Enterobacter and Klebsiella. The present study investigated the prevalence of coliform mastitis causing organisms in dairy cows with mastitis brought to the Veterinary Clinical Complex, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Orathanadu. Milk samples were collected in sterile containers from 140 cows with mastitis for isolation and identification of coliforms followed by antibiotic resistance study. Briefly, the collected milk samples were enriched and streaked onto selective medium and identified using biochemical tests. The study revealed E. coli and Klebsiella as common etiological agents in this region with prevalence of 25.7% and 18.6%, respectively. E. coli isolates were maximum resistant to methicillin whereas Klebsiella isolates were maximum resistant to ampicillin. Since coliforms are considered as environmental contaminants, good hygiene practices during milking process, teat dipping, fly control and dry cow therapy could reduce the prevalence of coliform mastitis.