Small Ruminant & Camelid Mastitis

Question 1

What part of the udder provides support?

Answer 1

lateral suspensory ligaments

Question 2

How do udders in small ruminants sit? What type of udder should producers breed against?

Answer 2

high and tight ot the abdominal wall and above the level of the hicks during lactation

pendulous udders - more likely to be damaged, more likely to develop mastitis, difficult for lambs/kids to nurse

Question 3

Mammary gland anatomy:

Answer 3

Question 4

What are 6 classifications of teats in small ruminants?

Answer 4

1. clean - single, normally shaped teat with one opening
2. functional - able to produce and secrete milk
3. nonfunctional
4. supernumerary - extra
5. split, cluster, fishtail
6. weeping - milk secreted by tissue in the wall of the teat, common in diary breeds –> hands commonly get wet during milking, may see cysts filled with milk on teat

Question 5

Abnormal teat anatomy:

Answer 5

Question 6

Udder grading:

Answer 6

Question 7

How does milk composition compare in sheep and goats? Miniature breeds?

Answer 7

SHEEP = 7.6% fat, 6.2% protein

GOATS = 4-6.9% fat, 3% protein –> smaller fat globules, higher proportion of short-chain fatty acids

MINIS = produce milk in lower volumes, but milk is higher in fats and protein

Question 8

How does sheep milk compare to cow and goat milk?

Answer 8

sheep milk is higher in fat, protein, caseins, and other solids, but lower in volume

Question 9

How does udder edema present? How is it differentiated from mastitis?

Answer 9

mammary gland swelling common in recently freshened does or ewes

• EDEMA = normal milk, resolved without treatment, can be caused by significant internal parasitism
• MASTITIS = udder is hot or cold to the touch, pain on palpation, abnormal milk, animal may have a fever

Question 10

How does congenital and acquired asymmetrical udders differ?

Answer 10

CONGENITAL = unbalanced suspensory ligaments

ACQUIRED = uneven milk production, side with less milk may have subclinical mastitis and lambs will preferentially nurse the healthy side, fibrous tissue due to previous mastitis or trauma can cause the production of a blind half, where one side does not produce milk

Question 11

What is most commonly the cause of herd-wide asymmetrical udders?

Answer 11

asymmetric placement of milking claws from the side, leading to different milk production rates

Question 12

Asymmetric udders:

Answer 12

Question 13

What is hard bag? How does it affect the udders?

Answer 13

accumulation of fibrous tissue in the udder, which replaces milk-producing tissue and results in lamb starvation

• appear full, but has little or no milk
• feels hard

Question 14

What 3 infections is hard bag commonly associated with? What should be done in animals that present with persistent hard bag?

Answer 14

1. ovine progressive pneumonia (OPP)
2. Maedi visna
3. caprine arthritis and encephalitis virus

cull

Question 15

What is a hard milker? What are 2 possible causes? How is it treated?

Answer 15

small streak canal limits flow of milk

1. genetically small streak canal - not recommended to breed
2. trauma/irritation and consequent scarring

surgical enlargement of streak canal opening

Question 16

What are 2 possible complications associated surgical treatment of hard milkers?

Answer 16

1. permanent leakage
2. increased chance of mastitis

Question 17

What is agalactia? What are 2 possible causes?

Answer 17

absence of milk in a lactating animal

1. systemic disease leading to reduced feed intake - pregnancy toxemia
2. mastitis

Question 18

What are 2 common causes of teat lacerations? How is it treated?

Answer 18

1. lambs/kids with sharp teeth
2. other animals stepping on udder

• clean with chlorhexidine or betadine scrub and warm water
• apply disinfectant ointment or spray to create a barrier to infection
• if severe, take lamb/kid off dam

Question 19

What should be checked for if blisters/sores are found on a dam’s teat?

Answer 19

look carefully at the lamb/kid’s mouth for similar lesions, as orf is a possible cause

Question 20

What are 3 signs of mastitis in small ruminants?

Answer 20

1. UDDER - swollen, hot, red, hard, painful
2. MILK - blood-tinged, yellow, thick, watery, foul smelling, lamb/kid refuses to nurse due to sour taste
3. DAM - visibly ill, fever, depression, off feed

Question 21

What is the difference between mild, severe, and chronic mastitis?

Answer 21

MILD - abnormalities in milk, udder may be swollen, hot, or sensitive

SEVERE - hot, hard, sensitive udder, sudden onset, fever (105-107 F), rapid pulse, depression, weakness, loss of appetite

CHRONIC - persistent udder infection resulting in hard lumps in the udder from the walling off of bacterial and connective tissue formation

Question 22

What are the 7 most common cause of contagious mastitis in small ruminants?

Answer 22

1. Staphylococcus aureus
2. Streptococcus agalactiae
3. Mannheimia hemolytica
4. Pasteurella multocida
5. Trueperella pyogenes
6. Corynebacterium spp.
7. Streptococcus zooepidemicus (goats)

infected udder acts as the source, can survive haltingly in the environment

Question 23

What 3 forms of mastitis can Staphylococcus aureus cause? How?

Answer 23

1. gangrenous - functional loss of udder with systemic symptoms that can lead to death
2. acute parenchymatous - never heals by itself and can evolve into the chronic form, which acts as a source for other animals
3. mammary pustular - initial condition for development of mammary gland infections

produces several toxins and enterotoxins (food poisoning)

Question 24

What kind of mastitis does Streptococcus agalactiae, Manneheimia hemolytica, and Trueperella pyogenes cause in small ruminants?

Answer 24

bovine contagious catarrhal mastitis (sheep and goats are still sensitive, but it is rarely isolated)

parenchymatous mastitis most commonly spread by suction of milk by lambs that host the bacteria in the rhinopharynx

unilateral parenchymal volume increase with nodular abscesses that lead to a fistulae

Question 25

What are the 9 most common environmental microorganisms that can cause mastitis in small ruminants?

Answer 25

1. E. coli 2. Klebsiella pneumoniae/oxytoca 3. Enterobacter spp 4. Serratia spp 5. Pseudomonas aeruginosa 6. Proteus spp 7. Streptococcus dysgalactiae 8. Streptococcus uberis 9. Bacillus spp (cereus) source from the external environment --> GIT, soil, water, litter

Question 26

What are the 8 most common opportunistic pathogens that cause mastitis in small ruminants?

Answer 26

1. Staph epidermidis 2. S. chromogens 3. S. hemolyticus 4. S. xylosus 5. S. warneri 6. S. capitis 7. S. caprae 8. S. hominis source from animal skin or udder --> most commonly leads to subclinical mastitis with negative effects on milk production (high SCC, increased pH, NAGase+)

Question 27

Mastitic udder:

Answer 27

Question 28

What is blue bag? What is the most common results?

Answer 28

severe mastitis eventually results in gangrene of the udder --> dark red, hard, blue - removal of gangrenous tissue - nonfunctional gland if animal survives - euthanasia

Question 29

Mastitis milk:

Answer 29

- watery, discoloration - clot

Question 30

What 3 things must be done with treating all cases of mastitis?

Answer 30

1. isolate suspected animals 2. keep affected halves stripped out 3. supplement lambs/kids, who are likely not nursing on mastitic milk

Question 31

What treatment is recommended for mild cases of clinical mastitis?

Answer 31

if mother appears normal, intramammary infusions may be enough

Question 32

What are the main signs of severe clinical mastitis? What 2 treatments are recommended?

Answer 32

fever, off-feed, depressed 1. intramammary AND systemic antibiotics + anti-inflammatories 2. severe and unresponsive - amputate teat if animal is highly valuable

Question 33

How can mastitis in small ruminants be prevented?

Answer 33

- good hygiene - clean, dry bedding and environment - manually milk if lamb/kids are not nursing well - teat/udder hygiene - decontaminate equipment - cull animals with chronic, subclinical mastitis - milk affected animals last - do not feed infected milk to offspring

Question 34

How much milk do camels produce in a day? How can it be increased? How often are they milked?

Answer 34

3-10 liters provide better quality feed, water intake, and proper management 2-6 times per day

Question 35

Human vs. camel vs. cow vs. buffalo milk:

Answer 35

Question 36

Mastitis:

Answer 36

gangrenous - quarter sloughing

Question 37

Mastitis:

Answer 37

L = healthy quarter R = mastitis quarter

Question 38

What 6 things affect the susceptibility of lactating camels to developing mastitis?

Answer 38

1. stage of lactation 2. age 3. breed 4. parity 5. animal's degree of resistance 6. nature of infectious agent

Question 39

How do camel udders compare to cow udders?

Answer 39

CAMEL = 2 teat canals in each udder, can't perform intramammary infusions! COW = 1 teat canal in each udder

Question 40

Tying off teats in camels:

Answer 40

done to prevent suckling by calf, but NOT recommended --> commonly leads to infection

Question 41

What are the 9 most common causes of mastitis in camels?

Answer 41

1. Staphylococcus aureus* 2. Streptococcus agalactiae* 3. Staphylococcus epidermidis 4. Micrococcus spp 5. Aerobacter spp 6. coagulase-negative Staphylococcus 7. Pasteurella hemolytica 8. E. coli 9. Corynebacterium

Question 42

What are the 4 most common predisposing factors for mastitis in camels?

Answer 42

1. unhygienic milking procedures 2. heavy tick infestation 3. udder lesions, commonly from teat tying 4. use of teat covers to prevent calves from suckling

Question 43

What are some signs of clinical mastitis?

Answer 43

- anorexia - fever - depression - swelling - severe inflammation - painful udders - rejection of newborn by female - color, consistency change in milk (floccules) detected with no special tests

Question 44

How do camels with subclinical mastitis present? How is it diagnosed?

Answer 44

no swollen udder or abnormal milk, but does produce less milk MUST be detected with special tests - CMT, SCC, ATP test, pH, electrical conductivity

Question 45

What is characteristic of chronic mastitis?

Answer 45

induration and fibrosis of affected quarter - uncommon in camels

Question 46

How does treatment of mastitis in camels compare to cows?

Answer 46

intramammary infusions of antibiotics are not recommended in camels due to the presence of 2-3 teat canals per udder which open independently + smaller teat canal

Question 47

How is acute mastitis treated in camel? How does this compare to chronic?

Answer 47

- systemic antibiotics - TMS, Penicillin, Aminoglycoside - anti-inflammatories - Flunixin meglumine - regular stripping of mammary more difficult to treat, often results in the loss of affected quarter

Question 48

What are the 4 major principles of camel mastitis control?

Answer 48

1. elimination of existing infection 2. prevention of new infections 3. monitoring udder health 4. fly and insect control