Epidemiology: Prototheca zopfii mastitis in dairy herds under continental climatic conditions

Summary

In the last 2 years 223 cases of bovine mastitis caused by Prototheca zopfii infection were identified in 32 large‐scale dairy herds. All of these farms were in Hungary, which has a continental type, temperate zone climate. Both the sporadic and epidemic forms of P. zopfii mastitis were observed. All the herds affected by the epidemic form had poor hygienic conditions and suffered from several managerial faults, but no specific predisposing factors could be identified. In almost all of the cases, the type II variant of this pathogen was isolated; however, the type III variant was isolated from three cows. The cows had a higher chance of new infection in the early weeks of lactation and in the summer. The P. zopfii infection usually resulted in a chronic subclinical, or mild clinical, inflammatory process in the udder, and was followed by a dramatic loss in milk production and a permanent increase in somatic cell count. The histopathological findings could be characterized as a progressive interstitial mastitis associated with alveolar atrophy. The self‐recovery rate was very low.

Key words:

• Mastitis
• Prototheca zopfii
• alga
• large‐scale herds
• dairy cows

Notes

Central Veterinary Institute, H‐1581 Budapest 146, P.O. Box 2, Hungary.

Veterinary Institute of Békéscsaba, H‐5602 Bekescsaha, P.O. Box 2, Hungary

Hungarian Herd Recording Ltd., H‐2101 Gödöllö P.O. Box 258, Hungary.

Corresponding author: G. Huszenicza, Department and Clinic for Obstetrics and Reproduction, Szent István University, Faculty of Veterinary Science, H‐1400 Budapest, P.O. Box 2, Hungary (Fax: [phone]; e‐mail: [email protected])