Prevalence and etiology of mastitis in traditionally managed camels (Camelus dromedarius) in selected pastoral areas in eastern Ethiopia

Prevalence and causes of mastitis in traditionally managed camels in selected pastoral areas in eastern Ethiopia were assessed. The prevalence of camel mastitis was determined by the California mastitis test (CMT) and by clinical examinations of the udder and milk samples. A total of 642 udder quarters from 161 camels were examined from three locations for the determination of clinical cases and CMT. Among the CMT positive milk samples and milk samples collected from clinical quarters, 174 randomly selected samples were further examined for identification of the etiological agents of camel mastitis. The overall prevalence of mastitis observed in camel herds examined as assessed by the CMT and clinical examinations of the udder or milk (76.0%) was very high. The high prevalence of mastitis in the camel herds examined could be attributed to the unhygienic milking procedures followed by the camel owners and the poor hygienic condition of the milking area. The bacterial species isolated from the camel milk samples include coagulase negative staphylococci (39.6%), Streptococcus dysagalactiae (22.2%), Corynebacteria spp. (9%), Bacillus spp. (7.6%), Streptococcus uberis (7.6%), Escherichia coli (6.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (4.2%) and Streptococcus agalactiae (3.5%). These results suggest that measures need to be taken to improve the health of camels and the quality of camel milk in the study areas. Keywords: Camel; Causative agent; Mastitis; Prevalence; Udder health.