Prevalence and Major Bacterial Causes of Bovine Mastitis on Lactating Cows at Buno Bedele and Ilu Aba Bor Zone, South Western Ethiopia

Identifying the prevalence and major causing bacteria for mastitis are very important for further improvement ofproduct and productivity of lactating cows. The objectives of this study were to assess and identify the prevalenceand major causing bacteria species for existence of bovine mastitis in the study areas. The study was carried out insix districts namely Bedele, Didessa, Dega, Yayo, Mettu and Becho districts. A total of 474 households wereparticipated in the study to carry out an interview and further examination of their cows. The summarized result ofthe study revealed that 92.9%, 4.4% and 2.7% of the interviewed households in Buno Bedele Zone and 81.1%,15.7% and 3.2% of the respondents in Ilu Aba Bor Zone have been practicing extensive, semi-intensive andintensive rearing systems, respectively. In addition to this, an interviewed respondents living in Buno Bedele (88.9%)and Ilu Aba Bor (92.0%) Zones had ≤ 10 herd size whereas the remains had >10 herd size. The prevalence ofmastitis ranges between 25.6% and 47.9%; the lowest obtained from Mettu district while the highest observed inDega district. The Staphylococcusaureus was one of the major examined bacteria species from Bedele, Didessa,Dega,Yayo and Becho districts with isolation rate of 57.1%, 69.2%, 67.7%, 65.0% and 34.8% respectively, whileEnterobacteriaceae and Micrococcus species were observed as a major causing bacteria in Mettu and Bechodistricts with isolation rate of 42.9% and 34.8%, respectively.