An unusual case of lingually conjoined amorphous globosus fetal monster in a graded Murrah buffalo has been recorded for the first time.
Mastitis is a condition responsible for causing severe economic losses to dairy industry and a public health threat due to reduced milk production, massive antibiotic usage and deteriorated milk quality. Among the diverse bacterial and physical etiologies of mastitis, Staphylococcus aureus remains the most significant. The primary aim of this study is to detect methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in mastitic milk samples and to assess their biofilm-forming ability. Total 368 milk samples were collected from buffaloes targeting various locations and screened for subclinical mastitis using California Mastitis Test. The positive samples were subjected to identification and confirmation of Staph aureus using standard microbiological methods and polymerase chain reaction. The Kirby-Bauer method was used to determine the multidrug-resistance profile and methicillin-resistant status of Staphylococcus aureus isolates, followed by confirmation through amplification of the mecA gene. The biofilm forming potential of all isolates was done using Microtiter Plate Method (MTP). The results showed that 42.40% (156/368) of milk samples were positive for subclinical mastitis and among them Staph aureus was detected in 71 isolates. On the basis of Kirby-Bauer test and MecA gene (n=26) isolates were confirmed as MRSA. It was observed that all the MRSA isolates exhibited varying levels of biofilm production, with 65.38%, 26.92%, and 7.69% demonstrating strong, moderate, and weak biofilm formation, respectively while the 82.22% of MSSA isolates showed biofilm production. The findings indicate a notable presence of MRSA in bovine mastitis and biofilm formation is more pronounced in MRSA compared to MSSA isolates. The control of biofilm forming MRSA in mastitis requires strict milking hygiene, early detection of infection, judicious antibiotic use and implementation of herbal preparations targeting biofilm disruption to limit infection spread.
Mastitis is the leading cause of substantial economic losses due to decreased milk yield and treatment costs in buffaloes. It occurs in two forms; clinical symptoms and subclinical without symptoms but affects the milk yield caused by a wide range of pathogens including bacteria and fungi. Identification of causative agents is important for management and treatment. In this study milk samples from 30 buffaloes of Nili-Ravi breed were collected from different dairy farms and investigated for clinical and subclinical mastitis (CMT). Subclinical mastitis cases are followed by biochemical tests (catalase, oxidase, coagulase, etc.) to identify different microorganisms. DNA was extracted and the 16S rRNA (1500 bp) gene was amplified by PCR using universal primers. Amplicons were sequenced and analyzed for identification. Out of 30 milk samples 13 (43.3%) were positive for clinical mastitis and 09 positive for subclinical mastitis (30%) while other 08 (26.7%) were negative samples having no growth. Out of 22 positive samples the most predominant bacteria were E.coli (31.8%) followed by Staphylococcus spp. (9.1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9.1%), Pseudomonas spp. (9.1%), Enterobacter spp. (9.1%), Staphylococcus aureus (4.5%), Klebsiella pneumonia (4.5%), Klebsiella spp. (4.5%), Stenotrophomonas sp. (4.5%), Aeromonas spp. (4.5%) and Fungal spp. (9.1%). Our findings highlight the significant prevalence of clinical (43.3%) and subclinical (30%) mastitis in buffaloes, with E. coli being the most common pathogen (31.8%) alongside a diverse range of bacterial and fungal species. The use of 16S rRNA sequencing provided precise pathogen identification, emphasizing the polymicrobial nature of mastitis. These findings underline the importance of regular monitoring and targeted management strategies to control mastitis and maintain dairy farm productivity.
There is limited scientific information on the nature and characteristics of micro-entrepreneurship within the buffalo farming and production sector. To address this gap, the present survey aimed to enhance understanding of how buffalo micro-entrepreneurs perceive risks related to various aspects of water buffalo production, as well as their adaptive strategies in response to existing challenges. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted between August and October 2022, gathering data from 190 micro-entrepreneurs (MEs) perceive involved in buffalo rearing, production, and product marketing. Findings on the profiles of micro-entrepreneurs and their enterprises indicated that 64% of respondents were male and 34% were female. About 50.49% of MEs had completed primary school, approximately 46.53% of MEs received training on livestock’s health and vaccination, and 28.71% received technical training on entrepreneurship and business management. Results highlight average 16.50% of MEs expressed knowledge of business management and marketing. Regarding business management, it was found that about 65.0% of MEs sold milk as a top product of selling. Only 7.84% of MEs were registered with any Government’s concern, and 65.35% of MEs were members of a savings cooperative/NGOs. Majority of MEs found existed market conditions somewhat unfavorable for businesses (71.57%) and were dissatisfied with government strategies or policies in providing access to finance and business services and working facilities (71.64%). Whereas 57.35% of respondents showed satisfaction with the government’s actions on ease access/availability of goods in rural areas. Majority of MEs (62.75%) identified current electricity supply as an important constraint for their enterprise’s production. Most of MEs emphasized the stable political environment (71.74%), improvement of infrastructure (68.48%) and entrepreneurship training (46.03%) for ensuring the sustainability of microenterprises. Results indicate insufficient finance, lack of qualified human resources, inadequate market information and lack of marketing skills, insufficient adaptation skills to climate and environmental effects as major challenges for micro-enterprises producing buffaloes. The findings indicate that obtaining appropriate vocational, technical, business, management, and entrepreneurial skills is essential for the sustainable growth and development of micro-entrepreneurs and their enterprises. This field-based analysis enhances the understanding of MEs in the selected study areas and highlights the significant role that microenterprises play in the economic advancement of buffalo-based coastal regions.
Buffalo farming is mainly in the hand of poor rural farmers of the North-Eastern Hill region. The farming community is ailing by pronounced land scarcity with the ratio of agricultural land to agricultural population and these farmers find buffalo rearing quite convenient for their livelihood. The buffalo population of North-Eastern India is basically of indigenous, or swamp type and the animals are hardy and quite adaptable to the local warm and humid conditions of the region. This type of buffaloes was registered as the 14th breed of buffalo in India named “Luit”. Farmers of North-East India primarily rear the “Luit” for dual purposes i.e. milk and work. The milk of Luit is having great demand in the market. Among the farmers and consumers, it is commonly famous as “Khuti Milk” due to its high-fat percentage. Luit is also used for agricultural operations viz. ploughing and paddling the wet rice fields and carting. Adult male or female Luit is mostly used as a single animal to plough rice fields with locally designed ploughs. Nowadays, the breed is declining in number very fast, whereas these buffaloes are very good source of livelihood for the nomads and poor farmers, hence immediate steps should be taken to save this precious breed in its natural territory.
