The occurrence of minor mastitis pathogens in dairy cows in Slovakia

Udder health inthe dairy industry isone ofthe main factors influencing the production ofhigh-quality and safe dairy products. Indairy practice, the udder isexposed tothe presence ofmicroorganisms, which, after penetration through the teat canal into the tissue, cause the main health problem– mastitis. The aim ofour study was todetermine the prevalence ofminor pathogens inthe milk ofdairy cows with suspected udder health problems under the conditions ofSlovak dairy farms in2017–2023. Atotal of47dairy farms were involved, and 2236 udder quarter milk samples were collected from dairy cows. Minor pathogens accounted for 11.38% ofthe identified pathogens inmilk samples, indicating their low incidence indairy practice. Intotal, the most frequent minor pathogens were Enterococcus spp. (2.65%), Serratia marcescens (1.77%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (1.41%), with differences in occurrence in the studied years. In conclusion, the occurrence of minor mastitis pathogens in milk samples indicates lower importance in causing mastitis problems, but their identification is also necessary for the application of preventive anti-mastitis programmes and mastitis treatment.