Mastitis Mastitis Affects on Profitability Mastitis Infection Mastitis Terminology Mastitis Affects on Milk Composition

1. Mastitis in Dairy Cattle
AVS 346
Dairy Cattle Technology

2. Mastitis
 An inflammation of the milk secreting
tissues of the udder, caused by microbial
infections in one or more quarters.
 Disease of Humans
 Affects 25 to 30 percent of all quarters
 The most costly disease of dairy cattle
 $200 /cow/year
 $2 Billion annually

3. Mastitis Affects on Profitability
 Decreased milk production
 70% of total costs
 Not visible to producers
 Milk dumped due to treatment
 Veterinary and drug costs
 Labor costs
 Culling and death losses
 Lost quality premiums

4. Determinants of Mastitis
Host
Infectious
AgentEnvironment
Pathogenicity, virulence,
number
Resistance,
nutrition, stress
Housing, equipment, hygiene,
weather, bedding

5. Mastitis Infection
 Almost always caused by bacteria
that generally enter through the teat
canal.
 Four ways for cow to get mastitis!!
 The environment inside the udder is
warm and moist with plenty of
available nutrients, so bacteria
multiply rapidly.

6. Mastitis Terminology
 Clinical – Presence of clinical signs
• Signs of infection
• Udder shows signs of inflammation (Rewdness,
swollen, tender, hard, etc.)
• Milk is abnormal
• Flecks, gargot (clots), off color, bloody
• Goal <2% per month
 Subclinical
• No evidence of abnormality except milk positive
on special tests.
• CMT, SCC, Sterile milk culture, etc.

7. Mastitis in a Herd
Clinical
Subclinical

8. Detecting Subclinical Mastitis
 Increased Somatic Cells
 Bulk Tank SCC
 DHI Individual Cow SCC
Direct Count, spectroscopy
 CMT
 Sterile Milk Culture
 Find mastitis causing organisms
 Electrical Conductivity
 Antibody ELISA
 NAGase
 N-Acetyl-B-D-Glucosaminidase

9. Mastitis Terminology
 Acute
• Rapid and severe onset
• High temperature
• Serious condition
 Chronic
• Persistent subclinical form

10. Mastitis Affects on Milk Composition
 Milk Production: Decreases milk production by
causing tissue damage, reduced lactose
production and scar tissue formation in the
udder.
 Milk Quality and Composition:
 Increasing somatic cell count
• Polymorphonuclear neutrophils
 Decreasing lactose, casein, and fat production,
 Increasing blood components such as Na, K, Cl,
bicarbonate, IgG and serum albumin.
• Electrical potential disrupted
 Bacteria, blood cells and enzymes
• Proteolysis
• Lipolysis and globule breakdown
• Off flavors

11. Effect of SC on Milk Composition
Measurements Normal High cell count % of normal
Total Solids 13.1 12.0 92
Lactose 4.7 4.0 85
Fat 4.2 3.7 88
Chloride 0.091 0.147 161
Total protein 3.6 3.6 100
Caseins 2.8 2.3 82
Whey proteins 0.8 1.3 162
*Source : John C. Bruhn, Extension Food Technologist, U.C.-Davis, 1983.

12. Effect of SCC on Cheese Yield
Average Somatic Cell Count
cells/ml
Cheddar Cheese Yield
lbs. cheese/100 lbs. milk
240,000 9.748
496,000 9.686
640,000 9.430

13. Types of Mastitis
 Contagious
 Environmental

14. Contagious Mastitis
 Primary habitat bacteria live on/in the udder
and teat lesions
 Poor survival of bacteria in the environment
 Is spread from cow to cow, primarily during
milking by milk-contaminated fomites at
milking, sponge, milker's hands, milking
machine
 Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus
agalactia, Mycoplasma bovis and sometimes
streptococcus uberis are contagious mastitis
causing organisms.
 Usually chronic, subclinical mastitis

15. Test Don’t Guess!!!
Know the bug
your dealing
with!!

16. Streptococcus agalactiae
 Strep Ag
 Gram positive
 Inhabits ducts and cisterns
 Does not survive in environment
 Inflammation blocks duct
 Leads to decreased milk production, increased
somatic cell count and involution
 Few enzymes/toxins produced
 Antibiotic sensitivity

17. Strep Ag - Continued
 Common “Old Form”
 Still common in poorly managed herds
 Causes 20-40 subclinicals for each clinical
 Susceptible to penicillin
 Can eradicate from herd with “Test & Treat”
program
 Well managed herds have eradicated it
 Dry cow treatment highly effective
 Proper sanitation and milking procedures
prevent cross infection

18. Sources of Strep Ag
 Major source is the infected cow.
 Injected into udder during milking
 Squawking
 Contaminated floors and stalls
 Newly purchased cows
 Heifer calves suckling penmates.
 Milking personnel as carriers

19. Staphylococcus aureus
 #1 cause of mastitis in US
 Many forms
 acute, chronic, subclinical (chronic, subclinical
predominates)
 Produces many enzymes/toxins (catalase,
coagulase)
 Invasive-hyaluronidase
 Resists phagocytosis & immune system
 Forms abscesses; may result in fibrosis
 Facultative intracellular pathogen
 Decreased milk production and increased
somatic cell count

20. Staphylococcus aureus
 Antibiotic resistance resulting from genetic
mutations
 Difficult to eliminate
 Some environmental survival
 Skin, bedding
 Transferred via milking machine and milker
 Hands - Gloves
 May be isolated from mammary gland of heifers
 Found in combination with other bugs
 Early detection critical to successful treatment

21. Mycoplasma
 Between a bacteria and a virus
 No cell wall so antibiotics are ineffective
 Control by biosecurity
 Spread through contaminated antibiotics,
syringes milking units, common cloths, etc.
 Teat dipping is a good preventative
 Isolation and culling
 Usually in well-managed herds
 NYS Study – 10% of herds have infected cow
 Maine BT Study 2002 – 3% of herds

22. Control of Contagious
Mastitis
 Dip teats in germicide after pre and post milking
 Treat quarters with dry cow antibiotics at end of
lactation
 Milking order or separate claw for infected cows
 Flush milk claws (hot water or germicide) after
milking infected cows (backflushing)
 Individual cloth/paper towels to wash/dry teats
 Clean hands, latex gloves
 Culture new cow additions
 Cull persistently infected cows
 Minimize teat end lesions
 Dry treat heifers before calving

23. Environment Mastitis
 Environment to cow
 Incidence increases as the incidence
of contagious mastitis decreases
 Primary habitat of bacterial is in the
environment (feces, soil, bedding,
water)
 Environmental contact at milking
time or between milkings

24. Environmental Mastitis
 Organisms from the bedding, stalls,
corrals, etc. gain entrance through
fatigued teat canals after or during
milking to cause infection.
 Streptococcus dysgalactia,
Streptococcus uberus, and Coliform
(E. coli, Klebsiella) are a few the
organisms that live in the
environment.

25. Got Mastitis??

26. Coliforms
 E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp.,
Citrobacter spp.
 Gram negative
 Feces, bedding, wet dirty udders
 Transient peracute/acute mastitis
 Endotoxin
 Very sick - death
 More prevalent in warm, wet weather

27. Sources
 Infection occurs when contaminated material
contacts and enters teat canal
 Infections occur at any stage
 Sediment from unclean surroundings, flank, and
udder
 Manure
 Polluted water (barnyard)
 Unclean equipment
 Wet bedding, especially green sawdust
 Infected quarter of other cows

28. Eschericha coli
 Clinical signs include:
 Acute to subclinical infections
 Yellow to watery secretion
 Subnormal temperature
 Quarter can be hard and swollen
 Inhabitant of GI tract
 Wet milking
 Septic infusion into udder
 Antibiotics of little help
 Supportive therapy
 Fluids, steroids, antihistamines, antiprostaglandins

29. Klebsiella
 Clinical signs similar to E. coli
 Acute to subclinical infections
 Yellow to watery secretion
 Subnormal temperature
 Quarter can be hard and swollen
 Associated with soil contamination
 Grows well in wood products
 Switch bedding
 Maintain high pH in bedding

30. Streptococcus species
 Strep non-ag
 Strep uberis, dysgalactiae, bovis
 Inhabitant of GI tract
 Clinical signs
 Milk infections with clots and flakes
 Moderate swelling
 High SCC
 Milking sanitation
 Milk clean dry teats
 Predipping
 Clean up environment

31. Other Environmental Organisms
 Pseudomonas
 Gram negative, ubiquitous
 Contaminated water, pipes, heater, wash
hoses, teat dip
 Antibiotic resistance
 Protheca
 Algae
 Wet soil and mud
 Yeasts
 Excessive antibiotic therapy
 Contaminated infusions

32. Control of Environmental Mastitis
 More difficult to control than the contagious pathogens
 Most are resistant to germicides in teat dip and antibiotics
in dry cow therapy
 Key is to ID source and remove (bedding, ponds, mud)
 Clip or flame udders
 Milk only clean dry teats
 Clean parlor, stalls, bedding
 Barrier dips
 Predip teats with germicide before milking – No water
 Keep cows standing after milking - feeding
 Sterile single-dose infusion products
 Sterile infusion techniques (alcohol swab)

33. Teat Sealant

34. Orbeseal

35. Orbeseal data

36. Timing of Infection

37. Somatic Cell Counts - SCC
 Epithelial cells and white blood cells
 Changes with milk production, infection, age, stage.
 Measures the level of udder stress/damage/irritation
 Under 240,000 /ml uninfected
 Over 240,000 /ml infected
 Legal limit 750,000/ml not very stringent
 Not a measure of actual mastitis infection
 Do not treat based solely on SCC!
 Easy way to assess the mastitis level in a herd
 Excellent mastitis management tool
 Highest correlation with milk production of any DHIA
measure
 SCC probably can't be too low
 Not the SCC but response to infection which is important

38. Factors that Influence SCC
 Minor Factors
 Age of the cow
 Stage of lactation
 Season
 Stress on the gland
 Breed
 Genetics
 Milking fraction
 Major Factor
 Mastitis infection

39. Milk Production Losses
----- Milk Production Loss -----
SC Score SCC CMT Lactation 1 Lactation 2
0 12,500 - -
1 25,000 - -
2 50,000 - -
3 100,000 -204 -408
4 200,000 -408 -816
5 400,000 T -612 -1224
6 800,000 1 -816 -1632
7 1,600,000 2 -1020 -2040
Eberhardt, et. al. 1979

40. Early Lactation Mastitis Increases DO
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
DFS DO
Before AI
After AI, Before
Conception
Control
Schrick et al. 1999. NMC Proceedings. P.189-190

41. Mastitis Treatment
 IMM Therapy
 Injection of antibiotics into udder
 Systemic Therapy
 Antibiotics IV or IM
 Supportive Therapy
 Remove toxins – Frequent milkout
 Treat dehydration, swelling and pain
 Know bug
 Lactational Therapy
 Likelihood of success?
 Dry Cow Therapy
 Larger dose, longer acting product

42. Mastitis Treatment
 IMM Therapy
 Use an approved product
 Use proper technique
 Have culture reports and sensitivities
 Make best guess on first drug
 Cow history, treatments and results
 Don’t give up on a certain antibiotic, often
response is seen with longer course of therapy
 Have a standard protocol

43. Mastitis Treatment Protocols
Grade Clinical Signs Treatment
1 Milk abnormal
Udder not swollen
Cow normal
Take sterile milk sample and
culture.
Decide to treat based on results.
Possible supportive therapy
2 Milk abnormal
Udder swollen
Cow normal
Take sterile milk sample and
culture.
Treat in udder with antibiotic.
Possible systemic/supportive
therapy
3 Milk abnormal
Udder swollen
Cow sick
Take sterile milk sample and
culture.
Treat systemically and in udder
with antibiotics and supportive
therapy

44. Supportive Treatment
 Reduced risk of antibiotic residues
 Organic herds
 Oxytocin / Stripping
 Eliminates toxins and bacteria food
 Not effective against contagious bugs
 Aspirin, Antihistamines, Anti-
inflammatory
 Fluids – dehydration

45. Mastitis Prevention
 Proper Milking Techniques
 Procedures, training, monitoring
 Keep cows clean!
 Proper Bedding
• Sand is the best bedding
• Organic bedding (sawdust, etc.) must be dry
• Stall sized to fit cows
• Udder flaming, tail docking
 Nutrition
 Vitamins and minerals
 Milk contagious cows last
 Maintain milking equipment

46. Diagnosing a Herd Problem
 Bulk Tank SCC – Dairy Plant
 ID Herd Problem
 Individual SCC’s
 ID Cows
 CMT’s
 ID Cows
 Reasons for Culling
 Sterile Milk Culture
 ID bug

47. Flow of DHIA Data
DART, Raleigh, NC
LOOP - Ithaca,
NY
Mail or
Download
Supervisor
Upload
Farm
Components
Lab
Data & Milk Samples
USDA-AIPL
Associations
AI Studs

48. DHIA Individual Cow SCC
 Level of new infections
• Low (<4) last month - high (>4) this month
 Level of chronic infections
• High last month - high this month
 First Lactation animals affected
 When are infections happening?

50. Culling

55. Graph of Previous SCS vs Current SCS

56. Average SCS by Lactation

58. Avg SCS
Lactation=1, DIM <40

59. SCS Throughout Lactation