Effects on goat milk quality of the presence of Mycoplasma spp. in herds without symptoms of contagious agalactia

• Published in: Journal of dairy research Vol. 76; no. 1; pp. 20 - 23
• Main Authors: de la Fe, Christian, Sánchez, Antonio, Gutierrez, Aldo, Contreras, Antonio, Carlos Corrales, Juan, Assunçao, Patricia, Poveda, Carlos, Poveda, José B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.02.2009
• Subjects: agalactia; Animal productions; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; bulk milk; bulk tank milk quality; Colony Count, Microbial; dairy herds; endemic area; Female; food contamination; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Goat Diseases - microbiology; goat milk; Goats; lactose; lipid content; microbiological quality; Milk; Milk - chemistry; Milk - standards; Milk and cheese industries. Ice creams; milk composition; milk quality; Mycoplasma; Mycoplasma - physiology; Mycoplasma Infections - microbiology; Mycoplasma Infections - veterinary; Mycoplasma spp; mycoplasmosis; nutrient content; plate count; protein content; signs and symptoms (animals and humans); Spain; Staphylococcus aureus; strain differences; Terrestrial animal productions; total solids; Vertebrates; Spain; endemic area; Mycoplasma spp; bulk tank milk quality; Goat milk; Quality; Dairy industry; Dairy product; Bulk; Herd
• ISSN: 0022-0299; 1469-7629
• DOI: 10.1017/S002202990800366X

This study was designed to assess the possible effects of mycoplasmas on the quality of milk produced by goat herds in a contagious agalactia (CA) endemic area with absence of classical symptoms. Several factors related to milk quality (percentages of fat, total protein, lactose and total solids, standard plate counts (SPC) and presence of Staphylococcus aureus) were compared in mycoplasma-infected and non-infected herds. To define the CA status of 26 herds on the island of Lanzarote (Spain), where CA is endemic, 570 individual milk samples and 266 bulk tank milk (BTM) samples were microbiologically analysed for the presence of Mycoplasma spp. A herd was considered infected by mycoplasmas when at least a sample (individual or BTM) was positive. BTM samples were also used to determine milk quality parameters. Mycoplasma infection was confirmed in 13 herds. A total of 31, 10 and 11 strains of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides LC (MmmLC), Mp. agalactiae and Mp. capricolum subsp. capricolum were isolated. No significant differences were observed between the least square means of the variables fat, total protein, lactose and total solids or SPC recorded for the infected v. non-infected herds. The Staph. aureus status of a herd was also found to be independent of the presence of Mycoplasma spp. Our findings indicate that neither the presence of mycoplasmas in a goat herd with absence of classical symptoms seem to compromise the quality of the BTM.