UDDER HEALTH OF CAMELS UNDER PASTORALIST MANAGEMENT CONDITIONS Mastitis, its etiology and treatment in camels under pastoralist management conditions

Present manuscript determines prevalence, etiology and efficacy of a therapeutic protocol against mastitis in she camels of central Punjab-Pakistan. 400 milk samples (200 each from district Faisalabad and Jhang) from udder quarters of different breeds were collected. Surf Field Mastitis test was used to assess prevalence of subclinical mastitis, which was, in Distt. Faisalabad 41.5% while it was 38.5% in Distt. Jhang, while, clinical mastitis was 7% in both the districts. Staphylococcus and streptococcus were the major cause of mastitis. 12 different antibiotics were tested for their sensitivity against the bacterial isolates recovered from the milk samples of Mareecha, Desi and crossbred she camels. Oxytetracycline was the most effective in vitro antibiotics. Bacteriological cure rate was 64.2% and 78.75% of the treated quarters of clinically mastitic she camels at the 7 and 14th days of post treatment, while bacteriological cure rate in subclinical mastitic dromedaries was 93.75% and 100% at the 7 and 14th days of post treatment in both the districts. Combination therapy with antibiotics proved effective in treatment of clinical and subclinical mastitis in she camels.