EXPERIMENTAL CANDIDAL MASTITIS IN GOATS - CLINICAL, HEMATOLOGICAL, BIOCHEMICAL AND SEQUENTIAL PATHOLOGICAL-STUDIES

The present study, first of its kind, was conducted with the objective s to understand hitherto Little known aspects of candidal mastitis, li ke its sequential pathology, pathogenesis and clinico-biochemical chan ges. For this purpose, unilateral intramammary inoculation of 10 goats with Candida albicans (1.2 x 10(7) yeast cells) resulted in the devel opment of mastitis, with gross and microscopic lesions being restricte d to the infected udder halves only and without dissemination of infec tion to the opposite uninfected udder halves as well as other organs o f the body. The experiment was continued for 40 days and after infecti on, there was sharp fall in milk yield and Candida albicans was direct ly demonstrated in the milk and re-isolated from the milk and udder ti ssues up to 30th day after inoculation. An increase in total immunoglo bulins in the milk and plasma along with increase in total plasma prot eins were also observed. Haematology revealed leukocytosis and neutrop hilia. Microscopically, there was acute purulent mastitis, which later became chronic, nonpurulent and interstitial with formation of granul omas. It was concluded that Candida albicans was highly pathogenic to the lactating goat mammary gland even without immunosuppression or ant ibiotic treatment, resulting in severe irreversible tissue damage and nearly complete agalactia.