MILK BORNE DISEASES:PREVENTIVE MEASURES
DR.SURENDRA KUMAR,MD,NMCH
Milk borne diseases are zoonotic in nature as the diseases from infected cows are transmitted to man and vice versa. The sources of infection are:
- Infection of milk directly from the Cow: The causative organisms enter the milk through the mammary glands or through faecal contamination and may cause disease condition to human being who consumes the milk eg. Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, FMD, Malta fever etc.
- Infection from man to cow and then to milk: These diseases are essentially human, but can become established in the cow’s udder eg. Septic sore throat, scarlet fever.
- Direct contamination of milk by human being: These disease may be transmitted to the milk by direct contamination through human contact eg. Septic sore throat, typhoid fever, dysentery, gastroenteritis.
- Indirect contamination of milk by human beings: The pathogenic organism enter the milk through contaminated utensils, water, insects, flies, dust. Eg.Diarrhoea, dysentery.
Various Preventive Measures for clean milk production:
- Proper housing of milch cow, clean milking barns.
- Proper washing and disinfection of all milking equipment and containers.
- Temperature of the raw milk should be kept below 50c or below is satisfactory.
- Lactometer Reading: This test is applied for detection of adulteration of milk with water. Adulteration of milk with water lowers the lactometer reading.
Milk Borne Diseases list
| Milk borne diseases | Causative Agent | Source of Infection | Sings/Symptoms | Control |
| Anthrax | Bacillus anthraces | Milk handlers | External form:
Malignant pustule, red inflamed swelling and fever Internal form: Pneumonia with haemorrhage |
To control it Boil milk for 40 minutes
Autoclaving at pressure of 15 lbs Prevent environment contamination of milk by boiling |
| Botulism | Chlostridium botulinum | Milk | Vomiting, abdominal pain and difficulty in vision later nervous symptoms consisting double vision, drooping of eyelid dilatation of pupil | Adequate heat treatment of milk
Cool and storage at 100oC
|
| Bacillary Dysentery | Shigella flexneri, Sh. sonnei, Sh. dysenteries | Milk handlers | Dysentery, fever, meningeal symptoms | Strict sanitary discipline is enforced in dairy workers.
Heat treatment of milk |
| Brucellosis | Brucella abortus, Br. meletensis, Br. suis | Milch animals | Pain in joint and back, temperature is usually undulant, headache, liver and spleen enlarge. It causes abortion in female | Adequate heat treatment of milk
Eradication of disease from dairy animals by test and elimination method Control of disease by vaccination |
| Cholera | Cholera vibrio | Milk handler, soil, hand of patient and carrier | Painless diarrhea and vomiting, initially skin is dry and wrinkled leg, eyes deeply shrunken | Heat treatment of milk |
| Coli infection | Pathogenic strain of Escherichia coli | Milk handlers | Gastroenteritis and pneumonia | Milk from quarter affected with mastitis should not be used
Adequate heat treatment of milk Cooling and storage at 10oC |
| Chlostridium Welch infection | Chlostridium welch | Milk, milk handlers | Gastroenteritis, vomiting, weakness and dehydration | Heat treatment of milk
Immediate cooling of milk at 10 oC or below |
| Diphtheria | Corynebacterium progenies | Milk handlers | Chilliness and depression, sometimes vomiting and diarrhea, uneasiness in throat, difficulty, stiffness of back and neck | Heat treatment of milk,
Examination of milk handlers |
| Pasteruellosis | Pasteruella multocida | Milch animals | Fever pneumonia | Microorganism is destroyed at the usual pasteurization temperature
To prevent recontamination of milk after pasteurization |
| Q fever | Coxiella burnetti (Rickettsial) | Milch animals, milk | Fever, sever headache and some forms of infection of lungs often causes pneumonia | Calving shed should be away from milk shed
Adequate heat treatment of milk and prevent recontamination |
| Staphylococcal interotoxic gestroenteritis | Staphylococus aureus | Milk handlers, milk | Sever nausea and vomition, diarrhea of less importance, weak pulse, subnormal temperature, sever prostration | Autoclaving at 15 lbs. for 20 min causes almost destruction of organism
Immediate cooling of milk to 10 oC or below |
| Streptococcal infection | Streptococci of Group A | Milk handlers milch animals | Scarlet fever, sore throat, difficulty in swallowing and breathing | Health control of dairy workers
Exclusion of milk from mastitis affected quarters Adequate heat treatment of milk Adequate cooling of milk |
| Tick born encephalitis | Tick borne encephalitis virus | Milch animals especially goats milk | High rise of temperature, drowsiness, headache, mental confusion and encephalitis | Adequate heat treatment of milk
Immediate cooling of milk at 10 oC |
| Tuberculosis | Mycobacterium tuberculosis | Milk handlers milch animals | Cough of an irritable nature particularly in the morning. Loss of appetite and lose of weight, diarrhea or constipation. Pleurisy causing pain in chest temperature is of swinging type. Enlargement of lymph gland | Eradication of bovine tuberculosis
Adequate heat treatment of milk Health control of dairy workers |
