ABSTRACT
In order to assess the influence of an infection by the caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) on the physicochemical and cellular characteristics of the milk, 97 samples of milk were collected from goats of the Saanen and Oberhasli breeds. The samples were divided into 3 groups: Group 1 consisted of 36 samples collected from clinically healthy mammary glands, without bacterial growth, from females that were seronegative to the CAEV antigen; Group 2 with 49 samples collected from mammary glands with normal consistency (soft), without bacterial growth, from CAEV antigen seropositive animals; Group 3 was composed of 12 samples collected from hardened udders (indurative mastitis), without bacterial growth, from CAEV antigen seropositive animals. The samples were collected in the milking parlor immediately before the animals were milked. The pH, electrical conductivity, chloride and lactose levels, chloride/lactose ratio, fat and protein content, total solids, somatic cell count and microbiologic profile were determined. It was found that 19.68% of the seropositive animals had a diffuse hardening of the udder. The data analysis demonstrates that there is significant influence of the infection by CAEV on the physicochemical and cellular composition of the milk, as: a) the electrical conductivity, chloride level and somatic cell count were higher in CAE positive animals, regardless of the hardening of the udder; b) the lactose content was lower in CAE positive animals, regardless of the hardening of the mammary gland; c) protein, fat and total solids contents were lower only in animals with hardened udders; d) the milk pH values were not altered by the infection with CAEV.
KEY WORDS
Milk; physicochemical characteristics; somatic cell count; goats; caprine arthritisencephalitis (CAE)
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