Mastitis

In Sheep & Goat

Dr.Ali Al-Ahmood
2008
Mastitis
Mastitis is a general term which refers to inflammation of
the mammary gland, regardless of cause. It is
characterized by physical, chemical, and usually
bacteriological changes in the milk and by pathological
changes in the udder. Early recognition and prompt
treatment are important for limiting tissue damage and
production losses. However, since treatment is often
unrewarding, emphasis should be on mastitis control and
prevention.

Specific udder examination:

1. Visually and by palpation.
2. compare the two halves.
3. heat.
4. swelling.
5. lumps.
6. extent of fibrosis.
7. injuries to teats of body of udder.
8. superficial inguinal lymph nodes.

Causes Of Mastitis:
An udder quarter becomes infected when:
1. the teats are exposed to pathogens.
2. the pathogens penetrate the teat duct.
3. the infection is established within the udder.
Infectious Causes Of Mastitis
Retroviral mastitis (Hard udder).
Mycoplasma Mastitis.
Bacterial Mastitis.

Types Of Mastitis
Coliform Mastitis:
Coliform mastitis seems to be less common among small
ruminant when compared with cattle. E.coli and
Klebsiella species are the most common coliform
bacteria implicated in mastitis. Coliform mastitis is more
common in the post-parturient period and is associated
with severe systemic disease. It can be either a persistent
or transient infection.

Clinical signs:
Affected animals perhaps have fever.
Anorexia.
Apparent depression.
Lethargy.
High heart rate.
Milk changes to a small volume of a watery serosanguineous
secretion.
Palpation of the gland reveals heat, swelling, edema and pain.
Endotoxin and inflammation may cause vascular thrombosis
and gangrene.
Prevention:
Coliform bacteria are environmental pathogens. Therefore
control measures should be aimed at proper hygiene.
Milking clean.
Dry teat.
Providing teat dips.
Bedding should be kept clean and dry.
Vaccination against gram-negative "core proteins" may be
beneficial.

Treatment:
Antiinflammatory drugs ; flunixin meglumine 1 to 2 mg/kg
IV.
Systemic antibiotics ; oxytetracycline 10 mg/kg IV.
IV fluid therapy as needed.
Aminoglycoside antibiotics should be avoided in food
producing animals.
IV administration of 5% hypertonic saline solution.

Subclinical Mastitis:
Subclinical mastitis is one of the most common
causes of culling animals from the flock. As the name
implies, it is a form of mastitis or inflammation of the
mammary gland that insidiously drains the animal's
productive ability. Subclinical mastitis in sheep and
goats is caused by a variety of bacteria, including
Bacillus species, Staphylococcus epidermidis, E. coli,
P. pseudotuberculosis, Omyces and other
environmental pathogens.
 Clinical Signs:
Subclinical mastitis may be recognized by poor lamb or
kid growth, neonatal malnutrition, and neonatal
death caused by starvation in meat breeds.
In dairy breeds, low daily milk production is the most
common finding.
Udder abscesses are recognized by swelling, edema, or
rupture and subsequent purulent exudates.
Prevention:
Preventive measures include keeping all housing and
dry lots clean and avoiding muddy areas.
When "drying off" or at weaning, the owner or clinician
may choose to infuse halves with a "dry cow"
infusion.
If halves were treated during lactation, a different class
of antibiotic should be used for "dry off" infusion.

Treatment:
Penicillin therapy.
In cases of toxic or gangrenous mastitis, treatment
consists of hydration maintenance with either IV or
oral fluids or hypertonic saline 4 ml/kg IV.
Administering NSAIDs ; flunixin meglumine 1 to 2
mg/kg.
Milking out every two to three hours.
Broad – spectrum antibiotic.
Intramammary infusions.

Peracute or Gangrenous Mastitis:

The commonly causes Staph. aureus infection following a
slight injury to the teat at any stage of lactation:
occasionally E. coli.

Clinical Signs:
Marked pyrexia in early stages, often progressing to a toxemia
with subnormal temperature and death; may present as
sudden death.
Udder hard, hot, swollen and painful; minimal thin, bloody
serous fluid from teat.
Pain syndrome-teeth grinding, rapid pulse.

Treatment:
1. Peracute or gangrenous mastitis:
a. Economically, treatment is often not worthwhile. In
a pet goat or where the goat is to be kept for breeding.
b. Intensive intravenous antibiotic therapy.
- Ampicillin 3my/kg.
- Oxytetracycline 1-10 mg/kg.
- Fluoroquinalones 1.25-2.25 mg/kg.
c. Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs will help
decrease the production of inflammatory mediators and
improve the clinical demeanour of the animal.
 - Carprofen 1.4 mg/kg.
- Flunixin meglumine 2 mg/kg.
- Ketoprofen 3 mg/kg.
- Meloxicam 0.5 mg/kg.
d. Intravenous fluid therapy, 100-200 mg/kg over 4-5
hours.
e. Good nursing rugs , heat and human company.

Acute Mastitis:
Caused by a number of different bacteria.

Clinical Signs:
Pyrexia, anorexia, lethargy.
Udder hard, swollen and painful.
Milk yield decreased; milk consistency changed.
Milk often thin and watery with clots.

Treatment:
a. Broad-spectrum antibiotics – parenteral and
intramammary.
Broad-spectrum antibiotic:
- Cephalosporins.
- Cloxacillin.
- Amoxicillin/clavulinic acid preparations.

Intramammary:
- Cephacetrite sodium (Vetimast, Novartis).
- Cefoperazone (Pathocef, Pfizer).
 b. Oxytocin.
c. Supportive therapy , as for peracute mastitis, if
necessary – intravenous fluids and non steroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs.

Chronic Mastitis:
This develops from the acute form of the disease. It is
manifested by hardness of the udder and by the presence
of single or multiple abscesses within the gland and often
the subcutis. The teat is sometimes swollen, and the teat
canal may contain a hard core of inspissated pus. These
changes are easily detected when the ewe is examined
prior to mating when the gland has involuted. (Single or
multiple milk cysts may be mistaken for abscesses. Cysts
occur most frequently ventrally in the mid-line; milk is
readily aspirated from them.)
It become common to refer to mastitis observed at the
premating examination of ewes as potweaning mastitis.
The term embraced the notion that the several thousand
ewes at the time of weaning and at regular intervals
thereafter have shown that few new cases of mastitis
develop after weaning. The great majority of cases of
preweaning mastitis detected posweaning. They
represent the sequelae of an acute mastitis that developed
during lactation.

DIAGNOSIS
To diagnose mastitis, it is necessary to learn how to
distinguish between the symptoms of the various types of
mastitis infection (see Tables 1 and 2 above). The key points
to remember are as follows:
Monitor the milk: routine examination of the milk using a
filter cup to extract the first three squirts before washing
(before milking) is undoubtedly the best way to diagnose
mastitis. The presence of lumps, flakes, blood, etc. must be
watched for. Milk that is hotter than normal may be a good
indication of a Staphylococcus aureus infection.
Palpate the udder: particularly after milking, when it is easy
to detect swelling, and fibrous, hard or injured tissue.
Be attentive: to other more evident signs such as fever,
redness, etc.
Since these symptoms are often absent, particularly in cases of
subclinical, subacute or chronic mastitis, only half of all
mastitis infections, at best, can be detected through
observation. Some tests may therefore also be useful, notably
cell counts, bacterial identification and the California Mastitis
Test (CMT).

California Mastitis Test (CMT):

Introduction: The California Mastitis Test (CMT) is a
rapid, accurate, animal-side test to help determine
somatic cell counts (SCC). The term somatic cell is used
to identify any cell in the body. With the CMT test, the
somatic cells that are being measured are mainly
neutrophils. Neutrophils are white blood cells that help
the body fight infection and are present in increased
numbers in the udder when the animal has mastitis. The
CMT test was developed to sample individual udder
halves to determine the presence of subclinical mastitis.
The test can also be conducted on bucket and bulk tank
milk samples to help determine somatic cell counts
(SCC) of the entire herd.

California Mastitis Test

How to Perform the Test: A small sample of milk

(approximately ½ teaspoon) from each teat is collected
into separate compartments of a plastic paddle that has
shallow cups marked A, B, C and D. An equal amount of
CMT reagent is added to the milk. The paddle is rotated
to mix the contents. In approximately 10 seconds, the
score should be read, while continuing to rotate the
paddle. Because the reaction disappears within 20
seconds, the test must be read quickly.
Clean each teat with alcohol. Squirt a small amount of
milk from each teat into the appropriate section of the
paddle. 1/2 teaspoon of milk is sufficient.

Mix an equal ratio of reagent to milk. The paddle is

rotated to mix the contents.
In approximately 10 seconds, read the score while
continuing to rotate the paddle. This goat has a negative
CMT score.
How to Read the Results: The CMT reagent reacts
with the neutrophils, and the mixture thickens or gels in
proportion to the amount of cells that are present. High
levels of neutrophils indicate infection. To become
accurate and consistent, practice this test on animals
with a known SCC.

CMT Average Somatic Description of reaction

Score Count (Cells per
milliliter)

N 0-480,000 No thickening, homogeneous.

(negative)

T (trace) up to 640,000 Slight thickening. Reaction

disappears in 10 seconds.

1 660,000 Distinct thickening, no gel

formation.

2 2,400,000 Thickens immediately, begins

to gel, levels in the bottom of
cup.

3 >10,000,000 Gel is formed, surface

elevates, with a central peak
above the mass

Teepol test:
This test, used in France, is apparently indentical to the
CMT(50). The reagent reacts with both epithelial cells and
neutrophils. Test results with goat milk have been graded
and interpreted as follows:
1. No or fine precipitation (as much as 500,000 cells/ml:
nNormal.
2. granular precipitate (200,000 to 2,000,000 cells): mild
irritation , as by improper milking.
3. filamentous precipitate (500,000 cells/ml): weakly
pathogenic organism such as nonhemolytic
staphylococcus.
4. viscous precipitate (more than 1,500,000 cells/ml):
suggests presence of Staph. aureus.

Wisconsin mastitis test (WMT):

The Wisconsin Mastitis Test uses diluted CMT reagent. It
is more objective than the CMT as the viscosity of the
milk-reagent mixture is estimated from the volume
remaining in a special tube after draining through a
standard-size hole for 15 seconds. The WMT is considered
to be DNA-specific. Results obtained using standard
conversion factors for cow milk are similar to counts
obtained by the fossomatic method.

Prevention and controlling mastitis:

Keep goats in a clean, dry environment, on a well balanced
diet.
Goats are generally cleaner than cows, so it may not be
necessary to wash udders before milking. However,
udders should be washed if they are obviously dirty or if
there is a problem with high bacterial cell counts in milk.
Udder washing must avoid possible transfer of pathogens
from goat to goat or from teat to teat:
Use a disinfectant solution; washing with plain water will
probably cause more problems than not washing at all.
Use a spray system or wash and wipe with a single service
paper towel soaked in disinfectant solution.
Dry teats and udder thoroughly with separate disposable paper
towel. Water running down the teats will drip into the
bucket or be drawn into the liner during milking ,
carrying bacteria into the milk. Wet udders during
milking easily transmit infection.
Routinely examine animals for mastitis at each milking use a
strip cup or filter in the long milk tube to detect milk
clots. During milking the udders should be examined for
cleanliness , teat lesions and teat orifice abnormalities
and changes in the udder tissue.
Use a postmilking teat disinfectant:
To remove mastitis bacteria which could be transmitted from
goat to goat by the milker or milking machine.
To remove general bacteria from cut or sore teats.
The dip should be applied straight after milking has finished,
whilst the teat canal is still open, so a small quantity of
dip disinfects the epithelium of the teat canal. Unused dip
should be discarded at the end of milking or as soon as it
gets grossly contaminated.
Teat mastitis cases promptly, using the full course of
treatment.

Treatment failures are usually due to:

Using the wrong antibiotic.
Waiting too long before treatment.
Using too low a dosage.
Stopping treatment too soon.
Presence of microorganisms that have become resistant to
treatment.
Failure of treatment to reach walled off sites of infection.
Chronic cases with poor recovery chances.
Cull chronic or incurable cases.
Use preventative treatment at drying off (dry – goat therapy)
where necessary dry goat treatments have at least twice
the cure rates of treatments during lactation.
Keep records.
Maintain equipment in clean conditions; milking machines
should be tested regularly.

References:
- Diseases of the goat (book author by John
Matthews).
- Goat medicine (book author by Mary C.Smith &
David M.Sherman).
- Sheep and Goat Medicine (book author by
D.G.PUGH).
- Diseases of Sheep (book edited by W.B. Martin
and I.D. Aithen).
- http://www.nnikolce.netfirms.com/mastitis_contr
ol.htm
- http://eap.mcgill.ca/Publications/EAP69.htm
- http://www.infovets.com/demo/demo/smrm/D100
.HTM