Dermatophytes and fungal infections identified in sheep and goats’ mastitis milk

Introduction

Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton are the 3 major genera in dermatophytes causing contagious diseases both in animals and human. (Spicler et al 2013). Yeasts and fungi are soil floras and they attack the udder skin in moderate numbers. (Santos and Marin 2005) [26] . Most environmental infections are caused by bacteria and fungi. (Mercer and Stewart,2019) [19] . Fungal infections are common under improper management conditions and as saprophytes thrive well in moist, warm and humid climate by utilizing the dead materials and thrive on hair shafts and develop mycotoxins. Transmission of the fungal agents occurs by direct contact or by indirect ways from animals and human with infected skin and hair. (Baumgardner 2017) [4] Costa et al (1993) [8] reported yeasts as opportunistic pathogens and develop infection by udder infiltration. Amrani Meriem et al (2020) [2] reported majority of Penicillium Sp were able to develop mycotoxins i.e citrinin and ochratoxin A. This suggests that contaminated goats' dairy products could be a risk to the health of consumers. Park et al 2013 [23] ; Abera et al (2016) [1] reported the unpasteurized infected milk is unhealthy to human beings and it has to be evaluated for zoonosis. With this back round the milk samples from sheep and goats were screened for the prevalence of dermatophytes and fungal infections with mastitis in order to follow these positive animals and their offsprings for their pathogenesis in due course.

Materials and Methods

Milk samples collection

Milk samples were collected from the milch sheep and goats from a farm in Sitapur village of Gajapati district in Odisha state. California Mastitis Test (CMT) was performed to confirm mastitis. In this study 28 sheep and 32 goat samples were found negative. These animals were utilized for culture studies (Table .1). All the sheep and goats being reared under semi-intensive system of rearing and all these animals were dewormed and vaccinated against B.Q, H.S and FMD vaccines as per schedule.

Laboratory studies on the dermatophytes and fungal organisms

The negative milk samples of the sheep and goats with CMT were utilized for Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) culture, followed by lactophenol cotton blue by staining. The dermatophytes and fungal culture organisms were identified on the basis of their morphological studies and by lactophenol cotton blue staining technique as per standard procedures. The milk samples of sheep and goats infected with dermatophytes and fungal infections were given inTable1. Out of 93 animals milk samples screened by CMT 60 animals milk samples (64.51%) were found positive for mastitis. All the negative milk samples with CMT were found positive for T. mentagraphytes (7.52%), Tricophyton rubrum (6.45%), Candida Sp (11.8%) and Penicillium Sp (5.37%). The overall positives for dermatophytes and fungal infections were 31.18% (Table1).

Results

Discussion

In this study the prevalence of T. mentgraphytes, T. rubrum, Candida Sp and Penicillium Sp were confirmed in the milk samples of sheep and goats affected with mastitis. Ganesan et al (2025a) [14] studied the prevalence of M.auduoinii, mucormycetes, and Fusarium oxysporum infections in subclinical mastitis buffalo milk in Gajapati district, Odisha state. Ganesan and Meena (2024) [13] [9] reported 23.8% of the goat population in Nigeria had the prevalence of T. mentagraphytes and T.verrucosum.

The cow milk samples studied by Emenuga et al (2022) [11] confirmed the prevalence of Tricophyton verrucosum. T.soudanense, T. mentagraphytes, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus and Geotrichum candidum at 82% level.

Papini et al (2010) [21] reported T. rubrum caused zoonotic infections in dairy farm workers by contact with infected cattle. Ganesan et al (2025b) [15] reported Tricophyton sp, Microsporum Sp and Aspergillus niger as invasive pathogens in endemic farm premises. The prevalence of T. mentagraphytes and Penicillium Sp in cattle in Rajasthan state, India was studied by Sharma et al (2010) [27] . Carolina Segundo Zaragoza et al (2021) [6] reported six species of Candida in clinically healthy and diseased goat milk from Mexico and suggested its role as an opportunistic pathogen. Alvaro Rafael Quintana et al (2020) [3] suggested microbial transfer of the yeast candida from farm environment to the milk, which included the use of feed for animal feeding.

Machado et al (2018) [18] reported fungal mastitis in ruminants due to candida as a main genus. Buzzini et al (2017) [5] reported air as a vector of yeast transmission. Knuth et al (2019) [17] reported the subclinical mastitis due to candida infection in USA in sheep milk. The prevalence of candida species in the infected milk was attributed to the contamination of feed materials and the environmental pollution. In this study the prevalence of T. mentagraphytes was considered as an invasive pathogen to develop mastitis and the T. rubrum as a zoonotic pathogen. The prevalence of candida was considered as an opportunistic pathogen originated from feed and air. Emilie Delavenne et al (2011) [12] reported that the normal goat and ewe milk carrying 27 fungal species which included Candida, and Aspergillus. Mohamed Hassan et al (2018) [20] reported the prevalence of A.fumigatus (17.24%), A.niger (10.34%), A.terreus (6.89%) and A.versicolor (3.44%) in goat milk in Iraq. Jimenez et al (2018) [16] reported 14% prevalence of Aspergillus Sp by animal milk. Desoubeaux et al (2014) [10] reported Aspergillus as an opportunistic airborne fungal infection. Papri Nag et al (2022) [22] explained that the mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus Sp suppress the innate immune pathways in plants and animals. Samson et al (2004) [25] reported Penicillium as a soil borne prevalent in moderate and cool climate and they present in organic materials known to develop mycotoxins. Pitt (2014) [24] reported Penicillium fungus as a source of infection with mycotoxin production and it is attributed for the innate immunity dysfunction in the animals and human beings. Prevalence of Penicillium Sp in this mastitis milk is considered as a factor to dispose the infected population to a depressed immune status.

Conclusion

The studies on the prevalence of dermatophytes and fungal infections denotes the poor hygienic management of the sheep and goat sheds and the need for screening of the animals and the shed floors at regular intervals. The prevalence of T. mentagraphytes have to be avoided since it is considered as an invasive pathogen for mastitis occurrence and candida species as opportunistic pathogen and in the same way the prevalence of T. rubrum have to be avoided as it is considered as a zoonotic pathogen. The prevalence of Penicillium Sp in the milk samples have to be avoided to restore the innate immunity intact. Antifungal agents or flame gun usage to control the dermatophytes and fungal infections suggested to reduce the burden of these pathogens in general.

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