BIOCHEMICAL, MICROBIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR DETECTION OF MASTITIS IN ASSOCIATION WITH LACTOFERRIN GENE IN WATER BUFFALO (BUBALUS BUBALIS )

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the incidence of clinical and subclinical mastitis in fresh buffaloes’ milk using two different methods, the California Mastitis Test and Somatic Cell Count and its possible relation in detecting lactoferrin gene in water buffaloes milk using polymerase chain reaction method. A total of nine milk samples were collected from different breeds of water buffalo from selected farms in Central Luzon, Philippines. All the samples was underwent California Mastitis Test (CMT) and Somatic Cell Count (SSC) and lastly to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method to detect the lactoferrin gene present in milk. The study showed that there was a strong relation between California Mastitis Test and Somatic Cell Count in identifying incidence of mastitis in the milk of water buffalo. Although the detection of lactoferrin gene is mostly likely seen in milk positive with mastitis, the study also revealed that lactoferrin gene were present in non mastitic animals.