Dairy goat production in the semi-arid region: productive and reproductive analysis, and the influence of the adoption of hygienic practices on milk quality / Produção de cabras leiteiras no semiárido: análise produtiva e reprodutiva, bem como influência da adoção de práticas higiênicas na qualidade do leite

The aim of this study was to evaluate the productive and reproductive performance of dairy goat genotypes, as well as the influence of hygienic practices by farmers on the quality of goat milk. Productive and reproductive data of 81 Anglo Nubian and Alpine crossbred goats, as well as data on total milk production of goats over 100 days of lactation and partial production up to 56 days of lactation. Also, in natura milk samples from 160 properties in the region were evaluated. At the time of collection, a questionnaire was applied to diagnose goat milk production systems. Data from productive and reproductive performance were evaluated by Tukey test and descriptive analysis using the SPSS program. The herd presented a variation of the total milk production in lactation (TMP) from 267.40kg to 468.55kg, with lactation length ranging from 157 to 247 days, and average daily production between 1.43 and 1.89kg/day. Fertility rates were satisfactory, with the lowest rate being 76% and the highest 92%, with an average of 85.24% considering the six seasons of birth. The means of the gestation periods varied between 144 and 152 days. Regarding the sanitary characterization, 73% of farmers performed a cleaning of the room before and after milking. However, 94.8% of farmers did not eliminate the first jets of milk and only 29.2% used the screened mug test to identify clinical mastitis. Only 41% of farmers performed pre and post-dipping and 30.2% applied the iodine solution. Only 8.3% of farmers used disposable paper towels. However, 92% of producers still used fabric towel. It was also observed that 99% of the properties stored milk in buckets or cans without refrigeration. In the microbiological analysis, a small amount of milk samples (5.6%) was contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus, however the total coliform count was high. Regarding the somatic cell count, it was found that 86% of the properties presented values above one million cells per mL of sample. The study demonstrated the prevalence of several factors that contribute to the vulnerability of milk contamination in various stages of production such as milking and processing. Thus, the guidance and awareness of those responsible is extremely important to improve goat milk quality in the semi-arid region of Paraíba.(AU)

O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar o desempenho produtivo e reprodutivo de genótipos caprinos leiteiros, assim como a influência da adoção das práticas higiênicas pelos produtores sobre a qualidade do leite caprino. A primeira parte da pesquisa foi realizada na Estação Experimental Pendência-PB. Foram analisados dados produtivos e reprodutivos de 81 cabras Anglo-Nubiana e alpinas mestiças, bem como dados de produção total de leite das cabras acima de 100 dias de lactação e produção parcial até 56 dias de lactação. Também foram avaliadas amostras de leite in natura de 160 propriedades da região. No momento da coleta, foi aplicado um questionário de diagnóstico dos sistemas de produção de leite caprino. Os dados de desempenho produtivo e reprodutivo foram avaliados pelo teste de Tukey e pela análise descritiva utilizando o programa SPSS. O rebanho apresentou uma variação da produção de leite total na lactação desde 267,40kg a 468,55kg, com durações de lactação variando de 157 e 247 dias, e produção média diária entre 1,43 e 1,89kg/dia. As taxas de fertilidade foram satisfatórias, sendo a menor taxa de 76% e a maior de 92%, com uma média de 85,24% considerando as seis estações de parição. As médias dos períodos de gestação variaram entre 144 e 152 dias. Quanto à caracterização da sanidade, 73% dos produtores realizam limpeza da sala antes e após a ordenha. No entanto, 94,8% dos produtores não eliminam os primeiros jatos de leite e somente 29,2% utilizam o teste da caneca telada para identificação de mastite clínica. Apenas 41% dos produtores realizam pré-dipping e pós-dipping e 30,2% aplicam a solução de iodo. Somente 8,3% dos produtores usam toalhas descartáveis e 92% ainda utilizam toalha de tecido. Observou-se, ainda, que 99% das propriedades armazenam o leite ordenhado em baldes ou latões, sem refrigeração. Pequenas quantidades de amostras (5,6%) estavam contaminadas por Staphylococcus aureus, porém a contagem de coliformes totais teve valor elevado. Em relação à contagem de células somáticas, verificou-se que 86% das propriedades apresentaram CCS acima de um milhão de células por mL, devendo-se ajustar corretamente os manejos alimentar, produtivo e reprodutivo. As épocas de parição, lactação e o genótipo influenciaram de forma direta os índices produtivos e reprodutivos dos animais. Obsevou-se a prevalência de vários fatores que contribuem para a vulnerabilidade de contaminação do leite em diversas etapas de produção, tais como ordenha e processamento. Portanto, a orientação adequada e a conscientização dos responsáveis são de extrema importância para melhorar a qualidade do leite de cabra na região semiárida da Paraíba.(AU)

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Brazilian Dairy Farms and Identification of Novel Sequence Types.

The aim of this study was to investigate the phenotypic and genotypic diversity and anti-microbial resistance among staphylococci of dairy herds that originated from Paraiba State, north-eastern Brazil, a region where such studies are rare. Milk samples (n = 552) were collected from 15 dairy farms. Isolates were evaluated for anti-microbial susceptibility by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Confirmation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was performed using multiplex PCR targeting mecA and nuc genes in addition to phenotypic assay based on PBP-2a latex agglutination. Clonal relatedness of isolates was determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) genotyping. Staphylococci were detected in 269 (49%) of the samples. Among these, 65 (24%) were S. aureus. The remaining 204 isolates were either coagulase-negative staphylococci (n = 188; 70%) or coagulase positive other than S. aureus (n = 16; 6%). Staphylococci were cultured in seven (35%) of the 20 hand swab samples, from which five isolates were S. aureus. The isolates were most commonly resistant against penicillin (43%), ampicillin (38%) and oxacillin (27%). The gene mecA was detected in 21 S. aureus from milk and in one isolate from a milker's hand. None of the isolates were resistant to vancomycin. PFGE findings showed high clonal diversity among the isolates. Based on MLST, we identified a total of 11 different sequence types (STs 1, 5, 6, 83, 97, 126, 1583, 1622, 1623, 1624 and 1625) with four novel STs (ST1622-ST1625). The findings show that MRSA is prevalent in milk from semi-extensive dairy cows in north-eastern Brazil, and further investigation on its extent in various types of milk production systems and the farm-to-table continuum is warranted.