Abstract
BACKGROUND: Mastitis is a significant and economically burdensome disease in dairy cattle, leading to considerable production losses. Generally, it has been divided into two types: clinical and subclinical. The clinical type of mastitis is easily recognizable, whereas the subclinical type requires improved laboratory tests for its detection. AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of subclinical mastitis (SCM) in dairy farms in Kabul, Afghanistan. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from August to October 2023 to estimate the prevalence and identify the major etiological agents of SCM in dairy farms. A total of 258 lactating cows were randomly selected from 12 farms. Diagnostic methods, including the California mastitis test (CMT), somatic cell count (SCC), and bacteriological culture, were employed to detect SCM. RESULTS: Among 258 cows and 1,032 quarters, 63 cows (24.41%) and 86 quarters (8.33%) tested positive for SCM using CMT. CMT-positive samples were further analyzed for SCC and subjected to bacterial culture (BC) for etiological identification. Of the 63 cows and 86 quarters, 55 (21.32%) cows and 74 (7.17%) quarters tested positive for SCC. The mean SCC was highest for Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), followed by (S. agalactiae), Bacillus spp., coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), other Streptococcus spp., other Staphylococcus spp., coliforms, and Escherichia coli (E. coli). BC was positive in 56 cows (21.70%) and 74 quarters (7.17%). The predominant bacterial isolates were S. aureus (36.48%), CNS (16.21%), and other (5.40%). S. agalactiae (22.97%) and other Streptococcus spp. (10.81%) The other isolates included Bacillus spp. (4.05%), Coliforms (2.70%), and E. coli (1.35%). CONCLUSION: SCM is highly prevalent among lactating cows in Kabul, posing a significant challenge to dairy farming.