Pathogens isolated from bovine clinical mastitis and their antimicrobial resistance

Abstract

This study aimed to isolate aerobic and microaerophilic bacteria from mastitis milk samples, as well as to determine their antibiotic resistance. A total of 196 bovine mastitis milk samples were tested by standard bacteriological methods and with API identification test kits. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The results revealed that the predominant isolate was S. aureus, with an isolation rate of 28%, followed by Streptococcus spp. (27%) and E. coli (19%). Isolation rates for Corynebacterium spp., Mycoplasma spp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 11%, 6%, and 4%, respectively. Compared to the bacteria mentioned above, lower percentages were observed for Trueperella pyogenes (2%), Pasteurella multocida (2%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (1%). A broad evaluation of antimicrobial resistance showed that the pathogens were resistant to tetracycline (68.63%), oxytetracycline (41.57%), ampicillin (39.08%), ceftiofur (38.1%), cephalexin (32.26%), penicillin (31.25%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (24.53%), enrofloxacin (24.44%), gentamycin (23.68%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (22.09%). This study demonstrated that the sources of bacteria isolated from mastitis bovine milk samples were both contagious and environmental. More importantly, the present results demonstrate a critically high antimicrobial resistance in dairy cattle. For instance, E. coli isolates showed a crucial resistance to commonly used and recommended antimicrobials, including ceftiofur (100%), cephalexin (83.33%), and tetracycline (94.44%). The results of this study may provide valuable information about clinical aspects of bovine mastitis infections and current antimicrobial resistance levels in dairy cattle.