The occurrence of minor mastitis pathogens in dairy cows in Slovakia

Udder health in the dairy industry is one of the main factors influencing the production of high-quality and safe dairy products. In dairy practice, the udder is exposed to the presence of microorganisms, which, after penetration through the teat canal into the tissue, cause the main health problem - mastitis. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of minor pathogens in the milk of dairy cows with suspected udder health problems under the conditions of Slovak dairy farms in 2017-2023. A total of 47 dairy farms were involved, and 2 236 udder quarter milk samples were collected from dairy cows. Minor pathogens accounted for 11.38% of the identified pathogens in milk samples, indicating their low incidence in dairy practice. In total, the most frequent minor pathogens were Enterococcus spp. (2.65%), Serratia marcescens (1.77%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (1.41%), with differences in occurrence in the studied years. In conclusion, the occurrence of minor mastitis pathogens in milk samples indicates lower importance in causing mastitis problems, but their identification is also necessary for the application of preventive anti-mastitis programmes and mastitis treatment.