Basic Mastitis Microbiology for Veterinary Technicians

Abstract

Mastitis culturing programs provide a wealth of information to dairy farms for their milk quality control and treatment programs. Labs providing this information can be in-house at veterinary clinics or on-farm. Laboratories must have established protocols for collecting and handling proper samples, identifying bacterial isolates, reporting results and quality control. Veterinary technicians can be integral in the setting up and day-to-day operation of these labs, both in-house and on-farm.