Ataro Abera
Mastitis is inflammation of the mammary gland and the most common and expensive disease of dairy cattle throughout most of the world. Infection by invading bacteria or other microorganisms and physical injuries on the gland can cause mastitis. Mastitis is classified as sub clinical and clinical and milk quality is affected by the level of both forms. Risk factors that play significant role in causing mammary incompetence are host, environmental and pathogen risk factors. Mastitis not only affects animal health and wellbeing it can have major implications on the profitability of dairy, financial loss and public health significance. Loss of milk production, replacement of culled cows, extra labor, discarded milk from cows with treatment and cost of control measures are the major economic losses to bovine mastitis. Smallholder farmers are not well informed about the serious invisible loss from sub clinical mastitis. Different tests like California Mastitis Test (CMT), clinical examination, somatic cell count (SCC), measurement of pH and specific laboratory have been developed for diagnosis and detecting the presence of microorganisms in the mammary gland. Antimicrobial susceptibility test is use to identify the most effective drugs for mastitis treatment. Intra mammary antimicrobial therapy, parenteral antimicrobial therapy, supportive and dry cow therapies are the major options of treatment. Mastitis control strategies include creating awareness of people on the management practices like milking and housing hygiene by eliminating existing infection, prevent new infection, and monitor udder health are the basic principles of mastitis control program.
