Incidence and Economics of Mastitis in Tamil Nadu

This study was conducted to understand the incidence of Mastitis infection at the farm level. Data were collected from a sample of 120 cattle farms randomly selected from 12 blocks of Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu respectively. Incidence of mastitis infection was high (72.5%) during monsoon, though the spread of mastitis was found throughout the year. Majority (83.3 per cent) of animals in lactation of 30 to 90 days had higher incidence of mastitis. Two-thirds (75%) of the animals in first and second lactation had high incidence rate of Mastitis. The overall average treatment cost was estimated to be ` 417 per day and the average number of days of illness was 4.19 days which resulted in an average overall treatment cost of ` 1747.92. Improper hygienic management practices lead to the increased incidence of Mastitis at the farm level. Educating the cattle owners on importance of the hygienic management practices and Clean Milk Production (CMP) through extension outreach centres and by field veterinarians would reduce the incidence of mastitis.