Diseases transmitted through milk

A- Bacterial diseases
: Tuberculosis ( T B) -1
Tuberculosis has been recognized as one of the
most important and serious human infectious
. diseases
: Causative agent
: There are two types of tuberculosis
a- Pulmonary type of tuberculosis : it is
caused by human type i.e. Mycobacterium
tuberculosis which affect the respiratory tract.
.It is pathogenic for man
b- Non pulmonary type of tuberculosis . It is
pathogenic to cattle and man . caused by
Mycobacterium tuberculosis bovis which
Sources of Mycobacteria in Milk
.Milk animal infected udders( Bovine type) -1
.Infected feed -2
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.Wash water -3
.Handlers personnel -4
:Environment -5
.Dust,fodder, Manure

: Tuberculosis mastitis
A symptomatic excretion of tubercle bacilli in
milk cans occur from infected animals.
Tuberculous mastitis show pronounced and
characteristic changes to the milk and the
udder . The milk may contain enormous
numbers of bacilli which may enter the milk
directly . When the udder tissues are
extensively involved, firm swelling may be
.observed and exhibit small nodules
: Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Manure of animals must be considered as a
very common source of infection of milk when
animals are affected with pulmonary farm of
the disease. When open lesions are present in
the lungs. the infected material containing a
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large number of tubercle bacilli may be

coughed into the mouth and the cows do not
expectorate but swallow the sputum and in this
way a large number of bacilli pass through the
alimentary tract , The stable air and dust
should be considered a less important for
source of infection, although particles of
sputum and moisture may be expelled into the
stable air by the coughing of tuberculoses
cows during milking, milk become
contaminated with my bacterium bovis more
commonly through the udder and from the
manure of infected animals that clings to the
udder and sides of the cows not properly
cleaned before milking. Also milk may
become infected from fresh manure splashing
from the floor into the milk pail or into other
milk utensils.Asymptomated from infected
animal with military TB i.e. open generalized
T. B
Infection with different types of tubercle
: bacilli
: Human type -1

Human type tubercle bacilli ( Mycobacterium

tuberculosis ) may gain direct access to milk
from milkers and other handlers and may
reach the consumer in the same way as other
milk-borne pathogen if they are not eliminated
.by adequate heat treatment
:II- Bovine type
Milk animals other than cattle are also affected
. with TB mainly by bovine type
: Prevention and control of TB
All cattles should be subjected to tuberculin -1
skin test to find whether particular animal has
. this disease or not
. Tuberculous cattle should be slaughtered -2
Proper heat treatment of milk and milk -3
products should be practiced. The traditional
habit pasteurization should be employed to
destroy these pathogens and render milk safe
. for consumption
. Overcrowding must be avoided -4
. Living conditions should be improved -5
.Infected individuals should be isolated -6

Tuberculous patients should be prohibited -7

. from handling cattle and milk
Proper disinfection of udder clothes, -8
.Utensils etc
. Vaccination of uninfected individuals -9
.Open air sheds -10
Compulsory notification of all cases of -11
. tuberculosis
Testing the cows with Tuberculin and
slaughtering of reactors and pasteurization of
milk has substantially reduced the level of
.human infection due to Mycobacterium bovi
BRUCELLOSIS
A bacterial disease of animal origin. In animal
it causes " infectious abortion". It is one of the
.common milk born diseases
:Causative organisms
Three principal species of Brucella are
.responsible for Brucellosis
: Causative organisms

Three principal species of Brucella are

:responsible Brucellosis
Brucella Melitensis ( in goat ). Brucella abotus
in cattle
.Brucella suis ( in hogs) , ( Bovine type )
All the three species can infect man and are
.excreted in milk of dairy animals
Theses organisms are secreted into milk
.through infected udder
Sources of pathogen in milk and milk
:products
Diseased animals have been shown to -1
. excrete the causative organisms in their milk
Environment is also one of the sources of -2
.contamination
Personal handling milk and animals are also -3
.potential sources
:Prevention and control
The following preventive and control
measures can be used for minimizing the
.incidence of brucellosis through milk
Eliminating the disease in animals by -1
segregation of the infected herds to avoid cross

infection to the healthy herd and, if possible

.the infected animals should be slaughtered
The herds should be preferly vaccinated -2
.
.against the disease
Adequate heat treatment ( Pasteurization ) -3
should be given to milk for the destruction of
. the causative organisms
Diphtheria
It is a bacterial disease of human origin, the
main cause of the disease appears to be poor
sanitary conditions at the levels of production
. and processing of milk
: Causative organism or agent
Corynebacterium diphtheria is the causative
agent of diphtheria. The organism is usually
found in respiratory tract of infected or healthy
carriers. It may also be associated with
wounds on the teats or udder of the cow where
.this may cause mastitis
: Source of pathogenic
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Milk an be infected chiefly through the

:following sources
Handlers human carriers who may sneeze or -1
cough over milk or who use their fingers
.contaminated with their nasal discharge
Animal: infected animals may also carry -2
the organism in the wounds of the teats or in
the udder of the cows from where it may enter
. into milk
Environment : air in vicinity of dairy -3
environment may get contaminated through
sneezing and coughing of the individuals .
Theses unhygienic habits throw the causative
organisms into the environment in the form of
.aerosols which may land into milk
Contaminated bottles : milk handlers -4
carrying the causative organisms of diphtheria
may also pass on the organisms to milk bottle
. from where the organisms may reach milk
: Prevention and control
For prevention and control of the disease the
: following precaution are required to be taken
Adequate heat treatment will destroy the -1
.causative organism

The infected persons carrying the disease -2

organisms should not be allowed to handle
milk and milk products during production and
.processing
The unhygienic practices pike sneezing and -3
coughing by the dairy personnel should be
.avoided
Proper vaccination of the individuals -4
against the disease is very efficient
.prophylactic measure
Anthrax -4
A bacterial disease of animal origin . It is acute
infectious disease of cattle. The incidence of
milk-borne anthrax are very rare and it is not
so much prevalent as compared to meat- borne
anthrax for the following reasons :a-Bacilli
anthracis can pass from the blood of infected
animals into their milk and such excretion
occurring just shortly before the death of
.animal
b- The milk secretion is suppressed,i.e It
volum is to reduced and milk is altered in its a
appearance that milk is not likely to be
.consumed
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Sources of pathogen in milk and milk 10

: products
Infected animal : the discharges and other -1
secretion of the bacillus anthracic spores into
clean milk from the surrounding of the dairy
. farm
: Prevention and control
The following measures are adopted for
: controlling the disease
Milk from infected animals should not be -1
used.It should be excluded from the general
.milk supply
Killing and burning of the a affected -2
. animals
.Proper sanitation of the dairy environment -3
.Proper vaccination of the dairy herds -4
The discharges of the infected animals -5
should be properly disinfected by ( 10%)
.NAOH
B- Rickettsial diseases

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Like bacterial pathogens, some Rickettsia can

also produce diseases which can be
transmitted through milk and milk products.
Since Rickettsia are resistant toward heat. The
most commonly occurring rickettsial disease
through ingestion of contaminated milk
. product is Q-fever
Q-Fever
It is Rickettsial disease of animal origin Qfever is world wide disease and is caused in
man by rickettsia, namely Coxiella burnetti,
raw milk is commonly implicated as a vehicle
.for the transmission of disease
:Sources of causative agent
Coxiella burnetii are shed in the placental
tissues, uterine discharges, milk, urine and
faeces of the infected cows, mostly, human
infection is by inhalation of infected dust of
the vaginal or faecal materials. Infected cattle
continue to excrete the organisms in their milk
for a long time . So oral infection through
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drinking raw milk may also occur. Also source

.of infection
The infected udders and milk do not show any
abnormality although infected cattle continue
to secrete coxiella can also cause mastitis in
. cows
:Prevention and control
. A dequate heating of milk and cream -1
Calving and lambing sheds should be away -2
.from the milking sheds and dairy
Recontamination of heat treated milk with -3
. dust and discharge should be prevented
.Animals should be properly vaccinated -4
. Control on import of domestic animals -5
: C-

Viral diseases

Some viral diseases can also be transmitted 12

through milk and milk products but viruses
don't multiply in milk . The diseases which
: merit special consideration are
Polio, 2- Infectious hepatitis, 3- Enteric -1
fever, 4- Tick borne encephalitis, 5- Foot and
.mouth disease ,6- Rabies,7- Pox

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: Entero- viruses -1
Entero-viruses are a group of viruses which
can cause severe epidemics of summer
diarrhea in infants and children on ingestion of
.contaminated milk and milk products
: Poliomyelitis
It is viral disease of human origin, and like any
other common diarrhea disease that occurs
.commonly in summer season
: Sources of the pathogen
Person to person contact is the primary -1
. mode of spread of theses viruses
Flies may also serve as the vectors for the -2
.spread of the disease
Faecal contamination of water and milk -3
may also introduce polio viruses into the
.consumers
.Milk handlers -4
: Prevention and control
. Milk should properly pasteurized -1

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Hygienic measures should be followed -2

.strictly to avoid faecal contamination
Infected handlers should not be allowed to -3
.handle milk and milk products
Immunization with immune serum or -4
pooled Gamma-globulin is also effective in
. preventing disease
Proper vaccination of the children confers -5
.protection against the disease
: infectious hepatitis -2
A among the various viral diseases , infectious
hepatitis ( Jaundice) is considered as one of
the most serious human viral diseases for
which milk may be the important vehicle of
transmission. The illness is also known as
. hepatitis
: Source of pathogen
Some major sources of entry of infectious
: hepatitis virus into milk are listed below
Milk handlers : Since disease spreads -1
through person to person contact. The milk
handlers suspected of carrying the
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causative organisms are an important

. source of contamination into milk
Water supply : Defective water supply -2
in a milk plant may also introduce the
. causative agent of this disease into milk
Dairy environment : The polluted -3
environment in the vicinity of milk plant
or distributing center may also
.contaminate milk

: Prevention and control

The following preventive measures can be
take to minimize the incidences of
. infectious hepatitis through milk
Proper sanitary conditions should be -1
maintained during production and
. processing of milk
Infected persons should not be allowed -2
.to handle milk
The faecal contamination of water -3
.should be avoided
Infectious hepatitis A can be prevented -4
by passive immunization, included by
.injecting pooled human Gamma globulins
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A adequate heat treatment of milk is -5

.likely to inactivate the virus
: Tick-borne encephalitis -3
It has been found to be another type of
animal , viral illness occurring through
milk and milk products . The causative
agent of the disease is the group B of
Arbo-viruses. The virus is inactivated on
pasteurization of raw milk . Hence ,the
presence of the virus in pasteurized milk is
.due to its recontamination with the virus
: Sources
Human infections occur either directly
through tick bites or by drinking
contaminated milk not given adequate heat
.treatment
: Prevention and control
. A adequate heat treatment -1
Immunization of milk animal by -2
.vaccine
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Food and mouth disease( FMD) -4

Food and mouth disease FMD is a highly
.contagious viral disease of livestock
: Sources of causative agent
In animals the virus is present in the fluid
of the vesicles (blister) in the mouth
,nares,muzzle,feet and teats. Milk becomes
infected due to the repturing of the
vesicles on the teats and udder or due to
faulty milking. The virus may gain
entrance to the saliva,faeces and urine
. which contaminate the milk
Lesions some time occur on the udder
which may lead to highly contaminated
milk. While the virus is present in the
.blood ( Viraemia )
The disease in man may be caused by
direct contact with diseased animals or by
ingestion of infected dairy products. Milk
or milk derivatives are one of the means of
. spreading FMD from one farm to another
: Prevention and control

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Milk from infected farm should be -1

.adequately heated
Milk from suspected animals should be -2
.discarded
.Pasteurization of milk should be proper -3
Proper vaccination of the dairy herds -4
should be carried out to confer protection
.against the disease
Animal should be thoroughly examined -5
to ensure that they do not carry any
. disease or disease causing organisms
Suspected animals should be -6
quarantined immediately and the premises
should be disinfected,sodium hydroxide
(2%),sodium carbonate (4%), citric acid
.(0.2%) in effective disinfectants
: Cow Pox -5
Cow pox is a mild form of small pox,
naturally occurring disease of cattle
characterized in the acute form by a
vesicular eruption on the udder and teats.
The infection spreads slowly throughout
.milking herds
: Source of infection to man
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Man may become infected with painless -1

but itchy purplish red nodules that are
.generally present on the fingers or hands
It is occupational disease, mainly seen -2
.in dairy farm workers
The disease is contracted by direct -3
.contact with papules on teats or udder
Milk becomes infected due to the -4
rupturing of the vesicles on the teats or
udder during milking and the virus may
gain entrance to the milk from the fluid of
.the vesicles
Infection of non vaccinated children -5
may be caused be ingestion pf infected
milk which causes gastro intestinal
. disturbances
: Prevention and control
Control of infection within the herd is -1
difficult and depends essentially on
hygienic measures, such as treat dipping to
.destroy the virus and prevent transmission
Proper vaccination of the dairy herds -2
should be carried out to confer protection
.against disease
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Outbreak control by isolation of -3

.infected animals
Milk should be properly pasteurized to -4
.inactivate the viruses

Lecturer
Dr. Akram Motlak Siwiah
Department Public Health
College of veterinary Medicin
Uneversity of Kufa

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