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Contagious agalactia (CA), a disease caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae and other pathogenic mycoplasmas, is a well-known multietiological syndrome affecting dairy breeds of sheep and goats in the Mediterranean basin. The aim of this work was to study the effect on milk production and composition of mastitis caused by M. agalactiae in Valle del Belice dairy sheep. All ewes were manually milked twice daily and the milk from both daily milking was analysed for milk composition and somatic cell counts. Moreover the morning milk samples were collected aseptically from each animal for bacteriological analyses. A mixed linear model was utilised to consider milk production and composition between animals infected by CA and healthy animals. After bacteriological investigation using both cultural and molecular methods, 37 ewes were found to be infected by M. agalactiae while 50 uninfected ewes were randomly selected from the same herds to compare milk production and composition between infected and healthy animals. Statistical analyses showed that the infection with M. agalactiae had a significant effect on yield and some milk components. In particular, infected ewes showed lower milk production with lower lactose content and higher somatic cell counts. The implementation of disease control programmes based on rapid laboratory diagnosis and modern control methods is desirable for Mediterranean endemic areas.Highlights Contagious agalactia is caused by M. agalactiae and affects small ruminant dairy farms in the Mediterranean basin. Contagious agalactia is endemic in many countries and has a severe health and economic impact. Effect on milk production and composition of mastitis caused by M. agalactiae.

Contagious agalactia (CA), a disease caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae and other pathogenic mycoplasmas, is a well-known multietiological syndrome affecting dairy breeds of sheep and goats in the Mediterranean basin. The aim of this work was to study the effect on milk production and composition of mastitis caused by M. agalactiae in Valle del Belice dairy sheep. All ewes were manually milked twice daily and the milk from both daily milking was analysed for milk composition and somatic cell counts. Moreover the morning milk samples were collected aseptically from each animal for bacteriological analyses. A mixed linear model was utilised to consider milk production and composition between animals infected by CA and healthy animals. After bacteriological investigation using both cultural and molecular methods, 37 ewes were found to be infected by M. agalactiae while 50 uninfected ewes were randomly selected from the same herds to compare milk production and composition between infected and healthy animals. Statistical analyses showed that the infection with M. agalactiae had a significant effect on yield and some milk components. In particular, infected ewes showed lower milk production with lower lactose content and higher somatic cell counts. The implementation of disease control programmes based on rapid laboratory diagnosis and modern control methods is desirable for Mediterranean endemic areas. Contagious agalactia is caused by M. agalactiae and affects small ruminant dairy farms in the Mediterranean basin. Contagious agalactia is endemic in many countries and has a severe health and economic impact. Effect on milk production and composition of mastitis caused by M. agalactiae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present paper was to study the effect of shearing on some haematochemical parameters in ewes. Forty Valle del Belice ewes, clinically healthy and well-fed, were divided into two groups of twenty subjects each. Twenty ewes were let unshorn as a control group (Group A) and twenty ewes were shorn (Group B). After the blood collection by means of jugular venipuncture, some haematochemical parameters were assessed for each subject in the following experimental conditions: before shearing, 1st, 15th, 30th, 45th, 60 and 75th day after shearing. We studied the course of the following haematochemical parameters: glucose, β-hydroxybutyrate, NEFA, triglycerides, total cholesterol, total protein, urea and creatinine. Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Bonferroni's test, was used to determine significant differences between the two groups in the studied parameters. The statistical analysis showed statistical differences (P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant) in β-hydroxybutyrate, NEFA, total protein and urea. Data analysis of variance showed a significant effect of time, with P < 0.0001, on all studied parameters. These results suggest that shearing induces adaptive metabolic responses in the ewes and exposure to elevated ambient temperature induces modifications of some haematochemical parameters.

The aim of this work was to study β- defensin 1 ( SBD1) and β- defensin 2 ( SBD2) genes in Valle del Belice dairy sheep in order to identify polymorphisms that can be utilized as markers of the analyzed genes, and search for the functional effects and roles of the identified polymorphisms (variation of the amino acid sequence of the protein and stability of mRNA molecule). The study was conducted on 300 randomly selected animals belonging to four flocks. A total of seven SNPs were identified, two in SBD1 and five in SBD2. The two SNPs identified in SBD2 coding region , at position 1659 and position 1667, were non-synonymous, leading to amino acid changes in the protein product. Nevertheless, the functional effects predicted by the two SNPs demonstrated that amino acid substitutions may not have effect on β-defensin 2 protein function. Moreover, we demonstrated that SBD2 mutant sequence shows changes in mRNA secondary structure. These results suggest that identified SNPs could play a role in the modulation of the immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]