Mikrobiološka kvaliteta mlijeka odražava zdravlje vimena i naknadnu kontaminaciju koja može nastati putem izravnih i neizravnih rezervoara. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je identificirati bakterijsku raznolikost u uzorcima mlijeka ovaca s mastitisom i u mlijeku iz spremnika te istražiti njihove profile osjetljivosti i otpornosti na antibiotike. Analizirano je ukupno 232 uzorka mlijeka. Iz pojedinačnih uzoraka mlijeka izolirane su 22 bakterijske vrste, među kojima se ističu Staphylococcus aureus (20,3%) i Staphylococcus epidermidis (18,6%). Raznolikost bakterijskih vrsta izoliranih iz spremnika bila je veća i obuhvaćala je 44 vrste, s prevladavanjem E. coli (20,6%), S. aureus (7,8%) i Hafnia alvei (7,2%). Testiranje osjetljivosti na antimikrobne lijekove provedeno je na 217 bakterijskih izolata. E. coli izdvojena iz pojedinačnih uzoraka mlijeka pokazala je visoke stope otpornosti na peniciline i tetracikline, dok je S. aureus pokazao visoke stope otpornosti na aminoglikozide, polimiksin, sulfonamide i tetraciklin, ali i visoku razinu osjetljivosti na cefalosporine treće generacije, linkozamide, neke makrolide, peniciline, fenikole i pleuromutiline. Profil otpornosti bakterija izoliranih iz mlijeka iz spremnika zabrinjavajući je u odnosu na uzorke mlijeka ovaca s mastitisom. Ovi rezultati ukazuju na potrebu za strukturnim poboljšanjima na farmama i podizanjem svijesti o jačanju biosigurnosti, medicinskoj profilaksi i kontroli pristupa veterinarskim lijekovima kako bi se poboljšala kvaliteta mlijeka i smanjila upotreba antibiotika.

There is growing concern that antimicrobial use (AMU) in livestock may contribute to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans and lead to the consumption of animal-derived foods contaminated with antimicrobial residues. As stakeholders in the livestock industry, farmers must participate in the joint effort to reduce AMU. This cross-sectional study, based on a survey questionnaire, was conducted to evaluate the biosafety measures implemented on small ruminant farms and to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of small ruminant farmers regarding AMU, AMR and residues. The mean biosafety score obtained was 8.4 points on a 0–17 scale. Some biosafety measures appeared difficult to implement, namely vehicle disinfection, requiring visitors to change clothing and footwear at the farm entrance, cleaning and disinfecting farm facilities, using high-pressure washing equipment, and requiring employees to change clothing and footwear upon entering the farm. Although farmers self-reported moderate levels of knowledge (4.9 points on a 0–7 scale) and positive attitudes (5.8 points on a 0–7 scale), significant gaps in knowledge about antibiotics and antimicrobial stewardship persisted. Practices received lower scores (4.7 on a 0–7 scale), especially regarding medication recording, leftover antibiotic management, and waste disposal. Cluster analysis identified distinct farmer profiles with different patterns of knowledge and practices. These findings underscore the importance of considering farmer heterogeneity when designing interventions aimed at improving AMU.