Prevalence of Bovine Mastitis, Risk Factors and Isolation of Major Causative Pathogens in and around Hargeisa, Somaliland

A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2019 to July 2020 on the prevalence of bovine mastitis, risk factors, and isolation of major causative pathogens in and around Hargeisa, Somaliland. The study was carried out on 384 dairy cows. Based on clinical examination, the California mastitis test (CMT), and isolation of bacterial pathogens using standard techniques, the overall prevalence of mastitis was 28%. Among them, 78.7% had subclinical mastitis, whereas 21.3% had clinical mastitis. At quarter level, 414 quarters were examined, and the overall prevalence was 37.7%. The prevalence of blind teats was 2.6% due to the absence of 40 teats during a physical examination. The current study found that the prevalence of mastitis was statistically significant and associated with age, parity, lactation, and previous history of mastitis. On a bacterial examination of the milk sample, the most isolated bacteria was Staphylococcus aureus, which scored 42.5%, while micrococci (13.8%) were the least identified bacteria. The conclusion of this study revealed that there is a high prevalence of mastitis, particularly subclinical mastitis, in the study area. Awareness creation and increasing animal health services, especially regular screening, prevention, and treatment strategies for mastitis, should be needed.