Pathologic investigations on mastitis in cows slaughtered at the Elazığ Elet abattoir

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of clinical and subclinical mastitis in cows slaughtered at the Elazığ slaughterhouse and to examine pathomorphological changes in udder lobes and supramammary lymph nodes of these animals. For this purpose, a total 7800 udder lobes from 1950 cows were examined clinically, by inspection and palpation at the slaughterhouse and California Mastitis Test (CMT) was also performed on 7552 udder lobes of 1888 cows. A total of 206 udder lobes and 160 supramammary lymph nodes samples were taken for pathomorphological examination from 160 cows which were diagnosed to have mastitis or were suspected of having mastitis in antemortem examined and CMT results. Additionally, standard bacteriological cultures were prepared from 206 udder lobes samples of 160 cows with clinical mastitis or which were CMT positive and the isolates were identified. The main findings observed in this study are summarised below. 1. Clinical mastitis was observed in 62 out of 1950 (3.18 %) cows examined clinically, by palpation and inspection and in a total of 84 (1.07 %) udder lobes of these animals. 2. Subclinical mastitis was determined in 98 of 1888 (5.02 %) cows which had no evidence clinical mastitis and among these animals 122 udder lobes (1.56 %) were found to have subclinical mastitis. 3. In the clinical examination or CMT diagnosis of a total of 7800 udder lobes in 1950 cows, total mastitis was determined in 206 (2.63 %) udder lobes of 160 (8.20 %) cows.47 4. In the bacteriological culturing Of 206 udder lobes samples from 160 cows, different microorganisms were isolated and identified from 132 lobes whereas no agents were isolated from the remaning 74 udder lobes. The identified microroganisms were Staphylococcus spp. in 69 udder lobes, Corynebacterium pyogenes in 16, Mixed culture in 14, Escherichia coli in 8, Bordetella spp. in three, Pasteurella spp. in two, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in two, Lactobacillus spp. in one and Bacillus cereus in one udder lobes. 5. It was determined that different agents which were bacteriologically isolated and identified from udder lobes caused same form or mastitis or in other words the same agents caused different forms at mastitis and therefore no close correlation was found between the isolated agent and pathological lesions occurred in udder lobes. 6. Mastitis cases were classified, based on the histopathological findings determined in the udder lobes of the cows, as follows; 1. Mastitis and galactophoritis purulenta catarrhalis acuta, 2. Mastitis and galactophoritis catarrhalis chronica, 3. Mastitis gangrenousa acuta, 4. Mastitis apostematosa purulenta chronica, 5. Mastitis interstitialis nonpurulenta. 7. In the histopathological examination of to have 206 (2.63 %) udder lobes belonging to 160 (8.20 %) cows were diagnosed to have mastitis by clinical examination or CMT, the changes determined were mastitis and galactophoritis purulenta catarrhalis acuta in 27 (0.35 %) udder lobes of 25 (1.28 %) cows (with clinical mastitis); mastitis and galactophoritis catarrhalis chronica inll9 (1.53 %) udder lobes (28 with clinical mastitis, 91 with subclinical mastitis) of 88 (4.51 %)48 cows; mastitis gangrenousa acuta in 5 (0.06 %) udder lobes of 4 (0.20 %) (with clinical mastitis); mastitis apostematosa purulenta chronica in 24 (0.3 1 %) udder lobes of 18 (0.92) cows (with clinical mastitis); and mastitis interstitialis nonpurulenta related findings in 14 (0.18 %) udder lobes of 11(0.56 %) cows (with subclinical mastitis). No histopathological changes were determined in 17 (0.22 %) udder lobes of 14 (0.71 %) cows (with subclinical mastitis). 8. It was found that there was a close relationship between histopathological findings of udder lobes with mastitis and their supramammary lymph nodes in terms of inflammation type and period.