This document discusses the role of technology in quantifying decisions related to mastitis detection and management. Precision monitoring technologies like electrical conductivity, milk color, temperature, spectroscopy, biosensors and inline somatic cell count can help detect mastitis earlier than visual observation alone. However, challenges remain around meeting sensitivity and specificity goals, calibration over time, and determining appropriate actions in response to alerts. Further research is needed to quantify the economic benefits of early mastitis detection and determine optimal treatment protocols.
6. Mastitis Detection isMostWanted
Most Useful Parameters Mean ± SD
Mastitis 4.77 ± 0.47
Standing heat 4.75 ± 0.55
Daily milk yield 4.72 ± 0.62
Cow activity 4.60 ± 0.83
Temperature 4.31 ± 1.04
Feeding behavior 4.30 ± 0.80
Milk components (e.g. fat, protein, and SCC) 4.28 ± 0.93
Lameness 4.25 ± 0.90
Rumination 4.08 ± 1.07
Hoof health 4.06 ± 0.89
1Results calculated by assigning the following values to response categories: Not
useful: 1, Of little usefulness: 2, Moderately useful: 3, Useful: 4, Very useful:5.
Matthew Borchers et al.
7. Shift Away from Treatment
Historical focus on treatment
Physical observations
Cow-side tests
Need more rapid and continuous measures
Recent proactive movement
Advancement in technologies
8. Mastitis Detection
Daily use of CMT and EC
Monthly testing of SCC
More recent focus
Introduction of in-line analyzers
Addition of EC to milk component data
Behavior
9. Early Disease Detection
Detect diseases
earlier than with
visual observation
alone
Improve individual
cow treatment
results
Indicate a larger,
herd-level, problem
leading to improved
prevention strategies
10. Mastitis Detection Benefits
Reduced labor
Early treatment and intervention
Cultured based therapy?
NSAID administration?
Pathogen-specific approach?
11. Mastitis Detection Benefits
Increase in bacteriological cure
Less chronic cases?
Increase in well-being
Fewer severe cases
Preemptive NSAID administration based on
culture results
Reduced chronic cases
Faster more appropriate treatment regimes
12. Mastitis Detection Benefits
Reduced mastitis transmission
Contagious animals separated sooner
Separate abnormal milk
Threshold in component changes
For example, presence of blood
Use of management protocols already in
place to address sick cows
13. Drying off
Abrupt cessation is US industry norm
Milk leakage and discomfort are concern
Increase risk of IMI with > 17.5 kg/d
Primiparous animals show reduced risk of IMI
with gradual cessation
Role in tailoring drying off approach
Selective dry cow therapy
(Gott et al., 2016)
(Rajala-Schultz et al., 2005)
16. Electrical Conductivity
Ion concentration of milk changes, increasing
electrical conductivity
Inexpensive and simple equipment
Wide range of sensitivity and specificity
reported
Results improve with quarter level sensors
Improved results with recent algorithms
Most useful combined with other metrics
17. Milk Color
Color variation (red, blue, and green)
sensors in some automatic milking systems
Reddish color indicates blood (Ordolff,
2003)
Clinical mastitis may change color patterns
for three colors (red, green and blue)
Specificity may be limited
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18. Temperature
Not all cases of mastitis result in a
temperature response
Best location to collect temperature?
Noise from other physiological impacts
19.
20. Thermography
May be limited because not all cases of mastitis
result in a temperature response
Difficulties in collecting images
Hovinen et al., 2008; Schutz, 2009
Before Infection After Infection
24. BiosensorsandChemicalSensors
Biological components (enzymes, antibodies, or
microorganism)
Enzyme, L-Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), is released
because of the immune response and changes in cellular
membrane chemistry
Chemical sensors: changes in chloride, potassium, and
sodium ions, volatile metabolites resulting from mastitis,
haptoglobin, and hemoglobin (Hogeveen, 2011)
30. Current Research Limitations
Examines changes retrospectively
Changes may be seen around
subclinical and clinical disease
Extrapolation? Is it appropriate?
How much?
Breed, housing type, region?
We find differences….but so what?
31. MastitisChallenges
Meeting sensitivity (80%) and specificity
(99%) goals (Rasmussen, 2004)
Calibration across time
Automatic diversion or alert?
Recommended action when an alert occurs
with no clinical signs
32. Mastitis Challenges
Dynamics of clinical and subclinical
mastitis
Potential for overtreatment
Employee education
Gold standards imperfect
35. Reasonsalertswerenotchecked
36%
15%
2%1%
9%
8%
6%
5%
5%
2%
2%
3% 3% 3%
No flakes/clots on filter sock
Milk production not alarming
Repeat
No time
Combination alert not alarming
Temporary physical problems
Conductivity alert not alarming
AMS disorders
Too many cows treated
Green alert
Checked before, not clinical
Not clinical at last check
Will be culled
In heat
Hogeveen et al., Precision Livestock Farming ‘13
*Farmers only checked 3% of alerts and missed 74% of mastitis cases
40. Other Cautions
• Huge within cow and within herd variation
• Many management factors and
environmental conditions affect these
variables
• Group/pen changes affect behaviors
• Some cows don’t read the book
• Not all changes are linear
41. Where do we go from here?
Identify disease prospectively
Determine course of action after alert
Culture?
Treatment?
Another intervention?
Assess economic benefit of
identification