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Phenotypic identification of escherichia coli associated with cases of subclinical mastitis among dairy cows in lokoja, kogi state, nigeria

Hauwa

In this study, investigation on Escherichia coli associated with subclinical mastitis among selected dairy cows in Lokoja, Kogi State was carried out. Thirty (30) milk samples were collected across the Fulani settlements in Lokoja using sterile bottles. The samples were screened for subclinical mastitis using California Mastitis Test (CMT) Reagents in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines. The cows were also examined for clinical signs of mastitis by physical examination and palpation of udders. Isolation and identification of Escherichia coli was carried out by colony morphology and conventional biochemical tests following standard bacteriological procedures. Results obtained in this study revealed that none (0.0%) of the cows examined had clinical signs of mastitis. However, this study established a prevalence of 16.7% for subclinical mastitis among the cows studied and a prevalence of 13.3% for E. coli associated with subclinical mastitis within the study population. Therefore, occurrence of subclinical mastitis and presence of E. coli in the milk samples of cows reared for human consumption is a threat to public health as they have fallen below the World Health Organization’s Standard for acceptable milk quality. Hence, routine CMT screening and bacteriological examination of raw cow milk across the herders’ settlements in Lokoja is strongly recommended to avoid epidemics of food borne infections.