Good news for goat's milk drinkers

Agricultural Research, Oct, 2004 by Louisa B. Tabatabai

About a million dairy goats are being raised today in the United States for milk and cheese production. The high protein and low cholesterol levels in their milk--plus its agreeability to many consumers who are unable to drink cow's milk--are steadily increasing its popularity.

But producers need to be constantly on the lookout for infection of their animals by Brucella melitensis. This bacterium causes a disease called brucellosis in sheep and goats. In people, B. melitensis infection causes Malta fever, characterized by fever and headaches.

While few cases of brucellosis have occurred in U.S. livestock since 1972, it's essential that producers maintain vigilance to ensure that it doesn't somehow infect their herds. B. melitensis is particularly common in Latin America, central and southwest Asia, and the Mediterranean region.

Now a test for detecting B. melitensis in bulk goat's milk has been developed by modifying an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test originally developed in 1984 to check cattle for B. abortus.

Louisa B. Tabatabai, USDA-ARS National Animal Disease Center, Ames, Iowa; phone (515) 294-6284, e-mail lbt@iastate.edu.