The prevalence, antimicrobial sensitivity, and factors associated with camel mastitis in Isiolo County, Kenya

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) adapt very well to arid and semi-arid (ASALs) environments and continue to thrive and produce milk even during severe droughts when cattle, sheep, and goats experience high mortalities. These attributes make the dromedaries very vital for the survival of pastoralists, especially in the ASALs of Africa. Mastitis is among the most important diseases of camels and can cause significant economic losses, thereby endangering the livelihoods of pastoralists. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence, risk factors, and antimicrobial sensitivity of mastitis-causing pathogens in lactating camels in Isiolo County, Kenya. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in July and August 2021. A questionnaire was administered to the camel keepers to capture data on herd-level factors. Lactating camels were then examined for any visible signs of clinical mastitis and as well as to capture data on other animal-level factors such as age, weight, and body condition score. A composite milk sample was collected aseptically from randomly selected camels in a herd. The samples were initially tested for somatic cell counts (SCC) using Somatos mini(®) automatic cell counter. Culture and sensitivity testing was then carried out on any milk sample that had SCC ≥ 200,000 cells/mL. The descriptive analysis was initially used to summarize the continuous and categorical farm and camel factors, while mixed regression models were used to explore the association between/across mastitis and the farm as well as camel-level factors. RESULTS: A total of 210 lactating camels from 23 herds were selected and sampled in this study. The average age of camel keepers was 48.3 ± 16.3 years and they were involved in rearing camels for a mean of about 14.3 ± 8.6 years. The total number of camels in a herd ranged from 10 to 287, with the mean total herd milk production being 34.5 ± 24.9 L/day. The mean daily milk production per camel was 2.8 ± 1.7 L while the range for days in milk was between 21 and 787 days. The average age of camel first calving and the inter-calving interval was 56.3 ± 9.9 and 27.7 ± 9.9 months, respectively. The median parity of the dam was three and the body condition score was two. About 39.7% (83/210) of the sampled camels had clinical mastitis during the current lactation. The overall prevalence of mastitis (SCC ≥ 200,000 cells/mL) in camels was 17.6%. The main pathogens isolated were Streptococcus and Staphylococcus bacteria. Streptococcus isolates were mainly sensitive to ampicillin and resistant to cefaclor. All 18 Staphylococcus isolates were sensitive to tetracycline, while 12/18 isolates were resistant to ampicillin. The factors that were significantly associated with mastitis were the age of the respondent (p = 0.038), the number of years involved in camel rearing (p = 0.024), presence of clinical mastitis since calving (p = 0.039), body condition score (p = 0.040), and age of the dam at the time of examination (p = 0.072). CONCLUSION: Results from this study revealed that mastitis is an important condition among camels in the pastoral communities of Isiolo County, Kenya. Thus, pastoralists should continue to be aware of and trained on mastitis occurrence and its control in the pastoral ecosystem to reduce potential economic losses.