Prevalence and Risk Factors of Mastitis among Ewes in Ayodhya and Amethi Districts of Uttar Pradesh, India

Mastitis is one of the most economically important diseases affecting all lactating animals including ewes, significantly reducing their productivity. The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of mastitis and to identify the associated risk factors in ewes in the Ayodhya and Amethi districts of Uttar Pradesh. Tests namely Somatic Cell Count (SCC), California Mastitis test (CMT) and Whiteside test (WST) were used to screen the milk for presence or absence of mastitis. The overall prevalence of mastitis recorded in the study was 20.83%. A higher prevalence was observed in Amethi district (22.22%) compared to Ayodhya district (19.44%). Several risk factors such as housing conditions, feeding pattern, udder and leg hygiene, and type of flooring were evaluated. The highest prevalence of mastitis was observed in sheep housed on brick floors (28.67%), followed by concrete floors (23.81%), while the lowest prevalence was found on earthen floors (15.34%). The prevalence of mastitis was slightly higher in unorganized farms (21.04%) compared to organized farms (15.38%). A significant association was found between udder hygiene score and mastitis status, indicating that the prevalence increased with poorer udder hygiene. Furthermore, mastitis prevalence was lower in sheep maintained only on grazing (19.33%) compared to those managed under a grazing plus stall-feeding system (25.27%). Awareness on mastitis in shepherds needs to be conducted to prevent the losses due to mastitis in ewes.