An Overview of Specific Pathogens in Goat Mastitis

摘要

Goat milk ranks fourth in terms of global milk production and lately it has become increasingly popular among consumers. Unfortunately, mastitis is one of the most common diseases that affects dairy goats, with serious economic consequences and food safety matters. The prevalence of clinical mastitis is lower than 5% and the main aetiological agent is S. aureus. On the other hand, the prevalence of subclinical mastitis is between 5-30%, with coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS) representing the most often isolated microorganisms. The aim of this paper is to highlight the main aspects regarding the aetiology of goat mastitis, as well as the importance of the milk somatic cell count (MSCC) in the diagnosis process. Although the inflammation of the mammary gland in goats is not as frequently diagnosed compared to cow mastitis, there are several aspects worth discussing in order to fully understand the pathogenesis of intramammary infections.