Comparison of clinical findings,microbiological results,and farming parameters in goat herds affected by recurrent infectious mastitis

A total of 1388 goats from 31 farms distributed throughout Sardinia, Italy, were investigated in this study. The goat population of Sardinia accounts for a quarter of the entire goat population of Italy. In this work, data and information concerning each farming site were collected, a detailed clinical examination of the udder of lactating animals was carried out, and microbiological examination of milk was performed. Results were then subjected to statistical analysis in order to highlight possible correlations among all findings. Significant results were obtained by comparing clinical findings with bacteriological positivity of milk.Intra-mammary infections were detected in 22.7% of all goats examined. Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., and Mycoplasma spp. were detected in 73.5%, 9.7%, and 4.7% of positive milk cultures, respectively. Other bacterial genera showed a prevalence lower than 3%. Milk positivity to Staphylococcus aureus was significantly associated to presence in the udder of pustules, ulcers, nodules, and rubor (p < 0.05). Staphylococcus caprae was associated to manual vs mechanical milking, age, udder edema, and absence of mammary secretions (p < 0.05). Staphylococcus epidermidis was positively associated to age (p < 0.05). Streptococcus uberis was associated to mechanical milking, atrophic udder texture, and reactive mammary lymph nodes (p < 0.05). Several other factors showed statistically significant correlations. Taken together, the results presented in this work highlight the specificity, the usefulness, and the practical value of performing a clinical examination of the udder, and suggest its relevance as the most important diagnostic tool for complementing microbiological examination of milk.     

Effect of Probiotic Use on Adverse Events in Adult Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: a Retrospective Cohort Study

Alterations of intestinal microflora are involved in the pathogenesis and natural history of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Manipulation of human gut microbiota with probiotics may be a therapeutic option. In this retrospective cohort study, the benefits of probiotic use in reducing adverse events were analyzed. Data from clinical charts of IBD patients followed up for at least 36 months were retrieved. The occurrence of adverse events including the need for systemic steroids, hospitalization, and surgery related to IBD was analyzed according to age, gender, body mass index, treatments, IBD phenotype, disease duration, and probiotic use. The amount of probiotic use was calculated as the ratio of time under probiotic treatment to the disease duration starting from the date of the first probiotic administration and expressed as a percentage. Patients were stratified according to the percentage of probiotic use as ≤?24%, 25–74%, and ≥?75%, and the number of adverse events per patient-years was calculated. Results were adjusted for Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) by multivariate analysis including study variables. Data from 200 patients (78 CD, 122 UC; 117 females; mean age 40.6?±?15.3 years; mean disease duration 12.1?±?8.7 years) were available. CD patients taking probiotics for 25–74% of the disease duration experienced a 64% reduction in total adverse events. The need for systemic steroids, hospitalization, and surgery dropped to zero events per person-year in UC patients and decreased by 93% (p?<?0.001) in CD patients taking probiotics for ≥?75% of the disease duration. Our findings suggest that the use of probiotics may be an additional therapeutic tool in patients with IBD.