Study of intramammary infections in dairy goats from mountainous regions in Italy

Abstract

Extract

The manufacture of dairy products from the milk of small ruminants presents an opportunity to improve the economics of farming in remote areas such as the mountainous regions in northern Italy. Mastitis, particularly subclinical and chronic, is the most persistent and widespread problem affecting milk quality. Currently, there is a lack of information concerning the most common causal agents of mastitis in dairy goat herds in Italy. This study was undertaken to determine the aetiology and prevalence of intramammary infections (IMI), and to measure somatic cell counts (SCC) of dairy goats in mountainous regions of northern Italy.