Caracterização de rebanhos e de microrganismos causadores da mastite bovina na promoção de educação sanitária na bacia leiteira da região Tocantina do Maranhão

Abstract

The Tocantina region in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, is the main milk-producing region in the state, needs to improve its productivity indices to explore its productive potential and increase the income of producers. As bovine mastitis is an important disease in dairy cattle farming, knowledge of the disease in herds is essential to implement control and prevention measures appropriate to the region. Therefore, the objective of this study was to understand the production characteristics, prevalence of the disease, etiological profile, antimicrobial sensitivity and virulence of the agents involved in the cases and to promote health education to dairy producers from herds located in the municipalities of Imperatriz and São Francisco do Brejão, located in the Tocantina region of Maranhão. Thirty-one herds were visited, of which 17 were located in the municipality of Imperatriz and 14 in São Francisco do Brejão, where the diagnosis of clinical and subclinical mastitis was performed, milk was collected from affected cows for etiological identification, and production characteristics were assessed applying a questionnaire. At the end of each visit, information was provided about the productive and hygienic management of milking and an explanation was given about the occurrence of the disease in the herd and the importance of implementing some control and treatment measures, according to the reality of the producer. It was found that milking conditions are, in most cases, precarious, without adequate infrastructure, and without hygienic, sanitary or nutritional management. The etiological profile identified mainly included species of the genus Staphylococcus spp. (78.9%), followed by Bacillus spp. (16.3%), Streptococcus spp. (3.5%) and Enterococcus spp. (1.3%). The isolates showed good sensitivity to most of the antimicrobials tested, with staphylococci had sensitivity greater than 95% to cefoxitin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, gentamicin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and showing greater resistance to penicillin (46.7%) and tetracycline (13, 65%). Bacillus spp. were sensitive to erythromycin (94.44%) and presented an intermediate result for ciprofloxacin (97.22%). Streptococcus spp. were 100% sensitive to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and 100% resistant to cefoxitin and penicillin and Enterococcus spp., were 100% sensitive to cirpofloxacin and penicillin and 100% resistant to tetracycline. Considering the occurrence of virulence genes such as exfoliative toxins (eta and etb), toxic shock toxin-1 (tst) and methicillin resistance (mecA), Staphylococcus aureus isolates exhibited the genes in 6.59% of isolated for eta, 1.09% etb, 39.56% tst and 2.19% for mecA, showing the importance of monitoring, since these are genes that encode factors that can intensify the severity of the infection and decrease the antimicrobial response in both animals and humans. Additionally, there was participation in two Field Days, one on a rural property located in Porto Franco and the other in Imperatriz, and a lecture was held at the 1st Agricultural Fair of São Francisco do Brejão, bringing together dairy producers and presenting the mastitis data found in the region and the challenges it presents. The study showed the weaknesses of milk production in the region and indicates that public-private partnerships in the areas of technical assistance, research and extension can be established and strengthened to contribute to the productive and sustainable development of milk producers in the dairy basin of the state of Maranhão