Prevalence and Risk Factors of Subclinical Mastitis of Goats in Banadir Region, Somalia

IntroductionMastitis is one of the major diseases that affect dairy goat production. It occurs after several microbes invade and colonize the secretory tissue, leading to inflammation of the mammary glands. While mastitis can be caused by many infectious or non-infectiousagents, it is classified as clinical and subclinical. Mastitis is one of the major problems and the top complaint from stakeholders ofdairy goats in the Banadir region.ObjectivesThe objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of mastitis in goats and to find out the significant risk factors associated with mastitis in goats.MethodologyA cross-sectional study was carried out between January and July 2022. The study population was all the lactating goats and does inthe Banadir region. A total of 207 lactating goats were randomly selected from goat farms in some selected districts of the Banadirregion and screened for subclinical mastitis using the California Mastitis Test (CMT).ResultsBased on CMT results, an overall subclinical mastitis prevalence of 67.6% was found. According to the risk factors, the studyrevealed that the lactation period (p=0.002) and body condition (p=0.005) had a significant association with the prevalence of mastitis, whereas the late lactation stage and poor body condition had the highest prevalence (73% and 79%, respectively). However,there was no statistically significant association between mastitis infection and risk factors such as study udder injury (p=0.191), age(p=0.284), hygiene (p=0.319), and parity number (p=0.620).ConclusionThe current research has shown that mastitis is extensively common among lactating goats in the area under study, with numerousrisk factors identified that make the udder susceptible to infections.RecommendationThe study recommends farmers be vigilant and closely monitor their dairy goats for mastitis during the late stage of lactation andin advanced age, immediate treatment of injured udders, and regular screening.