Relationship among clinical mastitis, vitamin E and selenium in Awassi ewes

Abstract EN

The study was conducted to investigate the correlation between ovine clinical mastitis with the ovine serum concentration of selenium and vitamin E.

Blood and milk samples were collected from 50 ewes with clinical mastitis and another 50 healthy animals (controls), aged 1-6 years during the period from October 2012 to March 2013 from three locations at Al-Qadisiya province; Serum selenium and vitamin E concentration were measured, and microbiological examination of milk samples were done.

The percentage of clinical mastitis was found (13.15%) and the Staphylococcus spp.

was the dominant bacteria.

The percentage of gram positive bacteria was (86.75%) which included Staphylococcus aureus (66.17%) coagulase negative staphylococci (10.29%) and Actinomyces pyogenes (10.29%) from total bacterial isolates.

The percentage of gram negative bacteria was (13.23%) which included Escherichia coli (4.41%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8.82%) from total bacterial isolates.

Estimation of vitamin E and selenium levels in serum revealed a lower levels in mastatic ewes than in healthy ewes with significant differences at (P<0.05).

Estimation of selenium and vitamin E concentration in serum revealed a lower levels in mastatic sheep in first month than in the other months with significant differences at (P<0.05).