Seligsohn Dinah, Abey Khalif A, Chenais Erika
Department of Animal Health and Antibiotic Strategies, Swedish Veterinary Agency, Uppsala, SE-75189, Sweden.
Department of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, P.O Box 32379, Lusaka, 10101, Zambia.
BMC Vet Res. 2025 Apr 14;21(1):270. doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-04723-x.
In the Horn of Africa, pastoralists depend on livestock for food security. Camels play a pivotal role, providing both milk and meat to these communities. Camel milk production is hampered by multiple factors, one of the main issues being diseases, in particular udder health issues such as mastitis; inflammation of the udder. This study aimed to enhance understanding of camel keeping pastoralists' perceptions of mastitis and attitudes toward its control in in camels. The study was carried out in Isiolo County in Kenya. Data collection involved focus group discussion (FGDs) with camel owners, herders and actors involved in the camel milk trade. Participants predominantly belonged to the Borana, Somali and Sakuye communities. The data pertaining to perceptions of udder health problems and preventive measures was thematically analysed, using an inductive approach.
Four themes were identified regarding pastoralists perceptions of udder health; (i) Importance of udder health; (ii) Economy; (iii) Herders' responsibilities and (vi) Udder health strategies. The results showed that camel pastoralists were skilled at detecting clinical mastitis and had developed strategies to maintain good udder health, such as adhering to a milking order, culling camels with faulty udders and applying treatment. The use of traditional knowledge in parallel with modern medical knowledge resulted in a multitude of treatment strategies without any standardised treatment routines. Awareness of subclinical mastitis, that is mastitis without any clinical signs, was very low and its detrimental effects of mastitis on milk production were poorly understood. Participants were largely positive to interventions that were sustainable, feasible, effective and accessible, such as using California Mastitis Test (CMT) and hand disinfectant.
Strategic milk hygiene work including selected interventions accompanied by targeted educational efforts and driven by economic incentives, could form the basis for future preventative work. This will need to be evaluated in the local context.
在非洲之角，牧民的粮食安全依赖于牲畜。骆驼发挥着关键作用，为这些社区提供牛奶和肉类。骆驼奶的生产受到多种因素的阻碍，其中一个主要问题是疾病，特别是乳房健康问题，如乳腺炎，即乳房的炎症。本研究旨在加深对饲养骆驼的牧民对乳腺炎的认知以及对其控制态度的理解。该研究在肯尼亚的伊西奥洛县开展。数据收集包括与骆驼主人、牧民以及参与骆驼奶贸易的人员进行焦点小组讨论（FGD）。参与者主要来自博拉纳、索马里和萨库耶社区。采用归纳法对有关乳房健康问题认知和预防措施的数据进行了主题分析。
确定了牧民对乳房健康认知的四个主题：（i）乳房健康的重要性；（ii）经济；（iii）牧民的责任；（iv）乳房健康策略。结果表明，骆驼牧民擅长检测临床乳腺炎，并制定了维持良好乳房健康的策略，如遵守挤奶顺序、淘汰乳房有问题的骆驼以及进行治疗。传统知识与现代医学知识并行使用，产生了多种治疗策略，但没有任何标准化的治疗程序。对亚临床乳腺炎（即没有任何临床症状的乳腺炎）的认知非常低，且对乳腺炎对牛奶生产的有害影响了解甚少。参与者对可持续、可行、有效且可及的干预措施，如使用加利福尼亚乳腺炎检测法（CMT）和手部消毒剂普遍持积极态度。
包括选定干预措施并辅以针对性教育努力且由经济激励驱动的战略性牛奶卫生工作，可为未来的预防工作奠定基础。这需要在当地背景下进行评估。
