Incidence, causative agents and strategy of control of mastitis among samllholder dairy herds in Morogoro, Tanzania
Shekimweri, M.T;|Kurwijila, L.R;|Mgongo, F.O. K / 1998

A study on the incidence, causative agents and strategy for control of mastitis was conducted on thirty urban and per-urban smallholder dairy farms in Morogoro. California Mastitis Test (CMT) was used in screening for mastitis. A total of 125 lactating cows were screened. The CMT positive quarter milk samples were taken for bacteriological examination and microscopic Somatic Cell Count (MSCC). Incidence of clinical mastitis was 2.4% while that of sub clinical mastitis was 60%. Infectious mastitis accounted for 63% of CMT positive cases. Major causative agents of infectious mastitis were Staphylococcus aureus (17%) and Streptococcus spp. (14.5%). Non-infectious mastitis accounted for 37% of all CMT positive udder quarters. A trial conduct on the different farm holdings and involving 40 cows in their last trimester was done to evaluate the use of dry cow therapy with or without accompanying subsequent use of pre –and post-milking udder sanitization with an iodophor disinfectant. Both Dry Cow Therapy (DCT) followed by routine udder hygiene (DCT-RH) treatment of full milking hygiene (DCT-FH) had significant effect (p=0.05) on reducing the infection rate which decreased gradually after calving. There was total elimination of Staphylococcus spp. Whereas Streptococcus spp. Were reduced by 67% within 8 weeks post calving. The effect of No Dry Cow Therapy followed by full milking hygiene alone (NDCT+FH) was not statistically significant but there was a 66% reduction I the proportion of infected quarters over a period of eight weeks. The study demonstrated that smallholder dairy farmers could achieve significant reduction of mastitis cases in their dairy herds through use of a combination of dry cow therapy and use of pre- and post-milking teat dip