International Journal of Environmental and Biological Sciences Articles Publishing terms and rules Vol. 1 No. 3 (2026): Third Issue - July 2026 2026-07-31

Unmasking the Microbial Signatures of Human Mastitis: From Bacterial Isolation to Biofilm Assessment Microbial Signatures of Human Mastitis

  • Nazar A. Kadhim Alhilaly
  • Ali Jabbar Abd Al-Hussain Alkawaz

01Abstract

Background: Mastitis is a prevalent form of inflammation of the breast which occurs mostly when women are lactating. It has been noted that though staphylococcus aureus is commonly known to cause mastitis, the aspect of biofilm development in relation to the etiology of this disorder has received relatively little attention. Methods: Cross sectional and comparative study were done on 60 women with clinical diagnosis of mastitis and 20 normal females. The aseptically obtained swab samples of nipple areola complex of these patients were tested for culture sensitivity to identify isolates of S. aureus which were then screened for the presence of biofilm formation by microtiter plate technique and crystal violet staining. Statistical comparisons were performed using the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: The presence of pathogens was observed in 91.7% of samples taken during mastitis infection; the predominant pathogens included S. aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci. No pathogens were found in the control samples. Of the isolated strains of S. aureus, 55.6% showed a moderate to strong biofilm-forming capacity. Neither S. aureus nor biofilms were seen in the control samples. Conclusion: The occurrence of pathogenic bacteria along with biofilm formation was found to have a significant relation with mastitis, unlike that with healthy individuals who did not exhibit any such results. The isolation of S. aureus along with an analysis of its biofilm formation ability among the cases of mastitis patients has helped demonstrate the significance of biofilm assessment may improve microbiological characterization and assist in identifying isolates with increased virulence and persistence.

Keywords Mastitis Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm formation Lactating women Microtiter plate assay Crystal violet staining

02Authors

Nazar A. Kadhim Alhilaly
University of Kerbala: Karbala, Iraq.
Ali Jabbar Abd Al-Hussain Alkawaz
Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Kerbala: Karbala, Iraq

03Article Details

Section
Articles Publishing terms and rules
Pages
21-36
Published
2026-07-31

How to Cite

Unmasking the Microbial Signatures of Human Mastitis: From Bacterial Isolation to Biofilm Assessment: Microbial Signatures of Human Mastitis. (2026). International Journal of Environmental and Biological Sciences, 1(3), 21-36. https://doi.org/10.63939/4z76py66

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