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Aim: This study aimed to evaluate and quantify the different factors affecting the costs of mastitis in cattle, to quantify the annual and monthly financial losses attributed to mastitis, and to estimate production losses using average linear scores found on The Dairy Herd Improvement Association somatic cell count (SCC) sheets and bulk tank SCC per lactation number. Materials and Methods: All data (bovine mastitis-associated costs and expenditures in Egyptian dairy herds) were analyzed using SPSS/PCT, 2001. A partial budget technique using spreadsheet software and the general linear model procedure was used to analyze the productive and financial measures. Results: Mastitis was present in 57.1% of cows (240/420), while clinical mastitis (CM) was present in 19% of them (80/420). The geometric mean of SCC/ml in bulk tank milk samples of 150 cattle dairy farms was 556.3×103. The annual subclinical mastitis (SCM)-related economic loss was 21,933,258.6 LE, and the two most important cost components were the subsequent decrease in milk production and quality premium losses (93% and 7% of SCM costs, respectively). The quality premium loss was 1,369,602.1 LE. On the other hand, the annual economic loss due to decreased milk production as a result of SCM was 20,563,656.5 LE. The total cost of 80 CM cases, including the failure and preventive costs, was 1,196,871.4 LE, including 1,169,150.4 LE failure costs (106,336.0 LE in direct costs and 1,062,814.4 LE in indirect costs) and 27,721.0 LE preventive costs. The average cost per CM case was 28,760.9 LE, including veterinary time and consultation fees of 250.0 LE (1%), labor 562.5 LE (2%), premature culling 736,000.0 LE (77%), decreased milk production 4085.18 LE (13.7%), discarded milk 185.3 LE (1%), and drugs and treatments 328.9 LE (1%). The total costs of CM (expenditures) extra control and preventive measures, including the diagnosis of CM for 80 cows annually in 20 Egyptian dairy farms were 27,721.0 LE, representing 346.5 LE or 1% of the total cost of CM cases. The cost of monitoring and diagnostic measures was 8635.2 LE, representing 107.9 LE or 1% of the total cost of a case of CM. Conclusion: The method used for cost estimation, in this study, is highly adaptable to individual cattle farms and had a major role in assessing specific control and management measures. The concepts described in this paper help to improve our understanding of the full economic impact of clinical and subclinical mastitis in cattle in Egypt. Assessing the economic losses from mastitis to determine the economic costs and losses occurring in Egyptian dairy farms is critical for encouraging farmers to acknowledge the scale of the problem and implement effective management practices aimed at improving mastitis control and reducing the associated costs.

Background and Aim: Mastitis is an important threat facing goat milk industry and is the most common cause of culling. Efficient control of mastitis, based on efficient diagnosis of diseased animals, would improve milk production and reproductive efficiency. In subclinical mastitis (SCM), infected goats demonstrate neither udder symptoms nor abnormal milk. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is an infectious causative agent of mastitis, mostly results as an extension of infection from the supramammary lymph node, and causes financial losses in the goat industry. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of SCM with emphasis on C. pseudotuberculosis mastitis in Egyptian dairy goats in the selected farms. Materials and Methods: A total of 336 half milk samples were collected from 177 dairy goats of various crossbreeds, in mid-to-late lactation period, after clinical examination. All samples were examined bacteriologically, while somatic cell count (SCC) was determined only in 180 half milk samples of the clinically healthy milk samples. The isolated and identified C. pseudotuberculosis was examined for evidence of virulence genes (Phospholipase D [pld] and β-subunit of RNA polymerase [rpoB]) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: The prevalence of clinical mastitis was 30.5%, while 69.5% of animals were apparently healthy and secreted milk was normal. Of those 180 clinically healthy half milk samples, 96 milk samples (53.33%) showed SCM as detected by SCC (SCC ≥1,000,000 cells/ml). Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most prevalent bacteria (41.96%), then Staphylococcus aureus (37.5%) and C. pseudotuberculosis (7.14%). Molecular diagnosis of virulence genes revealed evidence of pld gene in 16 isolates (66.66%), and rpoB gene in 6 samples (25%) of the 24 bacteriologically isolated C. pseudotuberculosis. Here, we describe, for the 1st time, isolation and identification of C. pseudotuberculosis from milk of does suffering from SCM in Egypt. Conclusion: C. pseudotuberculosis must be considered for routine bacteriological examination of milk from dairy goats, particularly herds with a history of caseous lymphadenitis. Pld gene-based PCR is more reliable than rpoB gene-based ones for the diagnosis of C. pseudotuberculosis.

A total number of 240 milk samples was collected from clinical (88 quarter milk samples; QMS), subclinical (108 QMS) and bulk tank (44 BTM) cow's milk selected from different dairy farms for detection of some phenotypic virulence factors and some putative virulence associated genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the isolated S. uberis strains. Also detection of antibiotic resistance for the isolated strains using conventional assay was applied. Using biochemical tests and molecular assay, the confirmed S. uberis strains was 48 out of 74 Streptococcus species (64.9%). The % of S. uberis isolation from the total examined milk samples was 20%. The higher S. uberis incidence was detected in bulk tank milk samples (45.5%) followed by clinical and subclinical milk samples (18.2 % and 11.1%, respectively). In studying the phenotypic virulence factors of the collected S. uberis isolates, it was found that β-haemolysis and positive CAMP factor like reaction were detected in only 6.25% of S. uberis isolates for each of them, while slime production as indicator for biofilm formation was detected in 75% of these isolates. A total of 48 isolates was tested for their in vitro antimicrobial sensitivity. Some of the isolates were highly sensitive to a limited number of antibiotics. On the other hand, the majority of the isolates were highly resistant to a large number of other antibiotics. In studying the genotypic virulence genes, gapC gene was detected in all the isolated strains of S. uberis while oppF, cfu and sau genes were detected in 93.8%, 68.8% and 62.5%, respectively. On the contrary, lbp gene couldn't be detected in any of the isolated strains of S. uberis. At least 2 of the five different virulence genes were detected in each isolate of S. uberis. There were some strains harboring 4 virulence genes and the higher rate of these strains was detected in that isolated from clinical mastitis. Moreover, the higher strains harboring 3 virulence genes were detected in that isolated from subclinical mastitis. In conclusion, it was observed that S. uberis should be given a great concern as a threat for the dairy cows. As it caused both clinical and subclinical mastitis as well as it was isolated with high percentage in BTM. Moreover, this pathogen nowadays emerges as resistance to different antimicrobial agents especially for those commonly utilized. Furthermore, S. uberis harbors different virulence factors and genes that capable it to persist in the mammary gland of the dairy animals for a long time and speeding of infection from cow to cow may occur resulting in higher prevalence rates of infection between different dairy farms.