Sieroprevalenze di CAEV, MAP e CpHV1 in capre allevate in Sardegna e loro effetti sulle caratteristiche del latte

The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether seropositivity to CAE (caprine arthritis), PTB (paratuberculosis) and CpHV1 (goat herpesvirus type 1) may influence the coagulative characteristics of goat milk and its cheese yield. 1272 samples of milk and serum have been collected from goats distributed in 35 farms in Sardinia. The milk was analyzed for chemical parameters such as fat, protein, lactose, pH, somatic cell count and total bacterial load. The milk was also tested with the lactodynamography test for the classic parameters (RTC, K20, A30) and for the modeling parameters, while the nanocaseification was performed on 560 randomly extracted samples. Antibodies were investigated for the three pathologies with the ELISA technique for CAEV and PTB, and with serum neutralization for CpHV1. Data was analyzed using statistical software. The results obtained show a wide diffusion of the three pathologies with high prevalence rates. Although productions tend to be better on average in subjects with negative CAEV, PTB and CpHV1, no significant statistical associations have been observed, therefore seropositivity does not seem to negatively influence the capacity of cheesemaking milk of goats affected by these diseases. The control of these diseases in the future will be crucial.