SURVEY OF BOVINE MYCOTIC MASTITIS IN DAIRY HERDS IN THE STATE OF SAO-PAULO, BRAZIL

The purpose of this study was to isolate fungi from the quarter milk o f cow udders from several dairy herds and to identify the different ge nera and species involved in mastitis. A total of 2078 milk samples fr om normal, clinical and subclinical mastitis quarters from 22 dairy he rds of 16 districts in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil was utilized in this survey. Two hundred and fifty one (12.07%) fungi were isolated fr om the samples. Two hundred and eight of these (82.86%) were yeasts an d 30 (11.95%) were moulds. The fungi were isolated in pure culture (24 .77%) or in cultures mixed with bacteria (72.22%). The yeasts isolated were: Cryptococcus spp. (71 strains), Rhodotorula spp. (40), Candida spp. (68), Trichosporon cutaneum (21), Aureobasidium pullulans (7), an d Pichia ohmeri (1). Moulds classified in following genera were also i solated: Aspergillus (3), Penicillium (3), Alternaria (3), Phoma (3), Epicoccum (2), and Geotrichum (16).