The diagnosis of mastitis and contagious agalactia in dairy goats

This article reviews the diagnosis of mastitis in dairy goats. The benefits and shortcomings are discussed of both indirect diagnostic methods, such as the California mastitis test and somatic cell counts, and direct strategies, such as bacteriologic isolation and PCR identification. The important role of mycoplasmas in causing mastitis in regions where contagious agalactia is endemic makes their detection mandatory in routine diagnostic practice, despite complicating and lengthening protocols. In this context, we discuss both the conditions to be met prior to sampling and the analytical conditions of the sample along with the features of each diagnostic method.