ETIOLOGY AND BACTERIAL SENSIBILITY OF SUBCLINICAL MASTITIS IN EWES OF SANTA IN

Abstract

Milk samples from 242 Santa Inês breed ewes tested for subclinical mastitis using California Mastitis Test (CMT) score 1+, 2+ and 3+ were cultured. The bacteriological tests were run in 5% sheep blood agar and MacConkey agar and the microorganism observed were identified using the gram method and taxonomy proves. Then the microorganisms were submitted to in vitro antibacterial susceptibility test. A total of 94 microorganisms were isolate in pure and in association culture distributed as followed: Staphylococcus sp(n=50; 53,1%), Streptococcus sp (n=18; 19,1%), Corynebacterium sp (n=11; 11,7%), Staphylococcus aureus(n=9; 9,6%), Proteus sp (n=3; 3,2%), Micrococcus sp (n=1; 1,1%), Acinetobacter calcoaceticus (n=1; 1,1%) and Bacillus sp (n=1; 1,1%). The antibacterial susceptibility test showed among the agents isolated in highest frequency that florfenicol, gentamicin and cefalexin were the drugs of better effectiveness. KEY-WORDS: Ewe. Mastitis. Microorganisms. Antibiotics.