New cases of Prototheca zopfii infections in dairy cows in Belgium

Abstract :

We investigated dairy farms where mastitis cases due to Prototheca sp. were reported : 651 samples (milk and faecal samples of the dairy cows, environmental samples) were collected from five dairy farms : four with a history of Prototheca sp. mastitis and one without as control.
The isolations were performed on a selective medium, the milk samples being first submitted to a concentration technique.
The identification of the strains was performed according to biochemical criteria. Prototheca zopfii was isolated from 22 out of 479 milk samples. Twenty positive samples came from a single farm.
The 20 faecal samples collected in this dairy farm were also positive. The lack of hygiene probably constitutes one of the crucial factors allowing the multiplication of the alga in dairy farms. As the available drugs have a low efficacy, prevention appears to be the best way to prevent this type of mastitis.

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