Bacterial mastitis in guinea pigs

Necropsy of 37 guinea pigs revealed mastitis to be the primary cause of death in 70% of these animals. Epidemiologic study failed to establish correlation between age, parity, or litter size and the onset of mastitis. The disease did not appear to be contagious. Although mastitis frequently developed during lactation, survivability of offspring was unaffected. The agent most consistently isolated from affected mammary glands was Escherichia coli (17 of 37). Other isolates in decreasing order of occurrence were Klebsiella pneumaniae (6 of 37), Streptoccus zooepidemicus (2 of 37), and Proteus sp (1 of 37). The etiologic agent of 111 cases was undetermined.