ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF FUNGI FROM INFECTED MILK SAMPLES OBTAINED FROM CATTLES WITH MASTITIS AND STUDING THE ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF ROSEMARY ETHANOLIC EXTRACT AGAINST THE MAIN STRAINS .

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to isolate and identification fungi fromthe samples of cows milk with mastitis, the samples were collected during theperiod between February- April 2009 in the Abu-Ghraib zone.Material: In the present study a 100 samples of mastitis cows milk wascollected.Results: Eighty samples (80%) were showed positive fungal infections, ofwhich 78.75% (63 samples) was yeast and 21.25% (17 samples) was molds.The main strains which were isolated and responsible about high percentage ofinfection were the followings, Candida albicans25%.Geotrichumcandidum20%, Rhizopusspp.17.5%, and other species whichinclude, Candidaspp.11.25%, Sacchromycescerevisiae11.25%, Candidatropicalis7.5%, Cryptococcus neoformans2.5%, Penicillium spp. 2.5%,Rodotorula spp. 1.25% and Aspergillus terreus1.25%, while 20 samplesshowed a negative results.Rosemary ethanolic extract showed a different antifungal activity aginst themain strains of isolates (C.albicans, Sacch. cerevisiae, Geot. candidum,Asp.terreus, and Rhizopusspp). There was an inhibition zone of usingextract in a concentration of 200mg/ml on the growth of C.albicans, Geot.candidumand Sacch. cerevisiae, while a concentration of l00mg/ml of theextract was effective only against Sacch.cerevisiae. The extract showedantifungal activity against the growth of Asp. terreusin all concentrations,with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of l0mg/ml, in contrast, theextract had no effect on the growth of Rhizopusspp. in low concentration (10,20 mg/ml) and only a concentration of 40, 80 mg/ml showed a minimal effectcompared with the antifungal drug (Clotrimazole).Conclusion: The presence of yeasts and molds in cows milk indicate that themycotic mastitis may be occurred in association with bacterial mastitis.Rosemary ethanolic extract had an antifungal activity most probably due to thepresence of some compounds (α-Pinene, Bornyl acetate, Camphor and 1,8-Cineole) that responsible about this property.