PCR-based identification and comparison of major bacteria from culturally confirmed colonies and mastitic milk samples of clinical mastitis in goats
Author(s): Shimaakhtar Saiyad
Abstract:
Mastitis in goats, often linked to poor hygiene practices in animal housing, leads to significant economic losses due to milk disposal, treatment costs, and decreased milk production. Effective control requires rapid and accurate testing for pathogens, with PCR-based detection being faster than traditional methods, allowing for identification in less than 24 hours compared to over 72 hours for culture techniques. This study focused on analyzing clinical cases of mastitis, revealing critical information about the bacterial composition involved. Employing both cultural methods and PCR techniques, it was found that Gram-positive bacteria were present in 69.23% of the cases, with Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. being the primary bacteria identified. Specifically, PCR tests indicated a 30% positivity rate for S. aureus, while Str. agalactiae demonstrated a significantly higher positivity rate of 83.33% among culture-positive isolates. In contrast, Str. Dysgalactiae showed a low positivity rate, and Str. uberis was negative in all conducted tests. E. coli exhibited a 43.33% positivity rate through PCR, which surpassed the detection levels attained through cultural methods. The study concluded that PCR methods were distinctly more effective than cultural isolation in identifying bacterial pathogens, including those that conventional cultural processes failed to detect.
