Efficacy of Murraya paniculata Leaf Flour in Reducing Subclinical Mastitis in Dairy Goats Fed Date Pulp-Based Diets

Staphylococci are the primary pathogens causing clinical and subclinical mastitis in dairy goats. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluates the impact of vaccination with VIMCO® (Hipra, Girona, Spain) on clinical mastitis (CM), gangrenous mastitis (GM), the occurrence of udder asymmetry, somatic cell count (SCC), total bacterial count (TBC) and 10-day average milk yield (10dMY) in primiparous goats. The RCT was performed on a commercial dairy goat farm with 3000 mainly Saanen goats from February to April 2022. A group of 350 pregnant primiparous goats (12 – 16 months of age) was randomly divided into a control group and a vaccinated group. The goats were followed from kidding until on average 72 days in milk (DIM). At on average 20 DIM, all primiparous goats were mixed into a group with 1600 non-vaccinated adult goats. At the first milking after kidding (T = 0), all primiparous goats were scored for clinical mastitis and udder asymmetry. After that, udder asymmetry was scored on T1 (on average 12 DIM) and T2 (on average 62 DIM). Gangrenous mastitis cases were recorded from the start of complete vaccination and during the entire trial period. In addition, individual daily milk yield was recorded automatically by the milking system, and somatic cell count (SCC) was determined once at T2. The prevalence of CM was significantly higher in the control group (5.6%) than in the vaccinated group (0.6%). There was a significantly higher prevalence of udder asymmetry in the control group (7.8%) compared to the vaccinated group (1.2%) at T0 and during the entire study period (16% in control group versus 7.6% in the vaccinated group). Dried-up udder halves and GM were rare and did not differ significantly between both groups. Also, the SCC measurement and the milk yield did not differ between the vaccinated and the control group. Altogether, we show that the VIMCO® vaccine prevents clinical signs of mastitis at the first milking after kidding and udder asymmetry during the first three months after kidding in primiparous goats. Therefore, the vaccine may contribute to udder health control. Effects on SCC, milk yield, the prevalence of dried-up udder glands and GM remain to be demonstrated.

Risk factors associated with short-term post-treatment outcomes of clinical mastitis

Usefulness of the total and differential somatic cell count based udder health group concept for evaluating herd management practices and udder health in dairy herds.

Subclinical mastitis, diagnosed by elevated somatic cell count (SCC) in milk, is an important monitoring parameter of dairy cows’ udder health, related to their productivity and welfare. The present retrospective study aims to evaluate the epidemiology of subclinical mastitis (SCM) among the 37 herds of the Holstein Association of Greece participating in the milk quality recording system “ΙΩ”, from the start of 2015 until the end of 2018. The herds’ inclusion criterion was the consistency of monthly SCC recording throughout at least one full year between 2015 and 2018, with a maximum interval of 61 days between two consecutive monthly SCC recordings. Twenty-six herds (8630 cows) in 2015, thirty herds (10763 cows) in 2016, thirty herds (10945 cows) in 2017 and twenty-six herds (9597 cows) in 2018 were included. The prevalence of SCM and chronic SCM, the incidence rate of new cases of SCM, as well as the average somatic cell score and bulk tank milk SCC were determined for each of the four years. The results indicate a progressive deterioration of udder health from the onset of the cow’s productive life until culling. A year-over-year increase in the number of cows with subclinical mastitis led to an overall SCM prevalence of 34.5%, chronic SCM prevalence of 26.9% and a bulk tank milk SCC of 463000 cells/mL, in 2018. The average somatic cell score, a base 2logarithm of individual cow’s SCC, was found persistently above the subclinical mastitis indicative cut-off in all four years, with a peak in 2018. At herd level, the incidence rate of new SCM cases was 12 new cases / 100 cows / month; the highest incidence rate was observed in the early lactation stage group (1-60 days-in-milk), in all four years, reaching a peak of 31 new cases / 100 cows / month, in 2018. In 2018, prevalence of heifers’ SCM and chronic SCM was23.4% and 16.9%, respectively. Despite the adequate average 305-days milk yield (9608 kg in 2018), the results were indicative of poor udder health status, pointed out by reduced duration of cows’ productive life (less than 3 lactations)and lower milk quality (elevated SCC). The severity and wide spreading of subclinical mastitis in Greek dairy herds highlights the necessity of a national mastitis control program, aiming to improve the productive efficacy, management decisions accuracy and quality of produced milk.

One hundred twelve high yielding (>20kg/animal/day) crossbred cows having a history of clinical and sub-clinical mastitis in previous lactation were selected from 24 farms in Mohali and Ropar districts of Punjab. Thirty-three cows from eight farms served as control, and remaining were fed daily 10 g supplement per animal, containing chelated copper, zinc, chromium, vitamins E and A along with iodine for four weeks before calving. After calving, milk samples were collected on 10th and 40th day for analysis of somatic cell counts (SCC), sodium content, pH and electrical conductivity. The farm owners were provided with Mastect strips for routine check up for sub-clinical mastitis. Out of 79 experimental cows, only 17 showed positive signs for sub-clinical and clinical mastitis with Mastect strip test, which was confirmed by SCC in milk (2.97 x105 cells/ml milk). However, out of thirty three, twenty nine animals in control group were affected by sub-clinical mastitis as indicated by SCC (3.19 x105 cells/ml milk), which was later aggravated to clinical mastitis. The pH, electrical conductivity, SCC and sodium content in milk were higher (P<0.01) in animals affected by sub-clinical mastitis than the normal animals. In experimental group, SCC in 62 animals was within the normal range (0.75-2.50 x105 cells/ml milk) and no signs of sub-clinical or clinical mastitis were observed. The inference could be drawn that feeding a vitamins and chelated minerals based strategic feed supplement for four weeks prior to calving can reduce the incidence of sub-clinical and clinical mastitis significantly in dairy cows under farm conditions.

This study analysed over 10 million test-day records collected between January 2005 and December 2022, to determine the prevalence of subclinical and clinical mastitis in Holstein and Simmental cows, and its impact on subsequent milk production. The daily somatic cell count (SCC) served as an indicator of subclinical (200,000/ml to 400,000/ml) and clinical (&gt;400,000/ml) mastitis. The study found that mastitis-related problems increased with parity, and were more frequent in Holstein cows than in Simmental cows. The study identified factors affecting daily milk yield, including lactation stage, age at first calving, farm size, recording season, and breeding region. It was also found that subclinical and clinical mastitis significantly impacted milk production. The day when subclinical/clinical mastitis was detected (D-0) had the lowest milk yield, followed by an increase in milk production in the subsequent recordings. The increase in production varied depending on the form of mastitis, cow’s breed (Holstein or Simmental), and cow’s parity. The first successive milk recording (A-1) showed the greatest increase in daily milk yield across both breeds and all parities. The increase in daily milk yield was higher following clinical than subclinical mastitis, and was more pronounced in Holstein than in the Simmental breed. After the initial increase in milk production, almost all cows had a decline in milk yield in the subsequent period after subclinical mastitis. Further, a continued increase was observed in all cows after clinical mastitis. The analysis of monthly and total differences in milk production indicated that cows had the highest monthly increase in milk production in the first month after subclinical/clinical mastitis. The highest total increase in milk production was observed in Holstein primiparous cows, which amounted to 44.91 kg after clinical mastitis. In comparison to the Holstein breed, Simmental cows had a lower increase in milk production. Generally, Holstein cows had a better production increase or recovery potential than Simmental cows, particularly after clinical mastitis. Primiparous Holsteins and Simmentals exhibited the highest total production increase in the second parity. The analysis of the animal’s recovery capability after the occurrence of a mastitis-related problem revealed that primiparous cows had the lowest initial increase in milk production, but they were able to regenerate more in the total period compared to the older cows with higher initial but lower total increase.

Impact of subclinical and clinical mastitis on sensitivity to pain of dairy cows

Identification of cows with subclinical mastitis (SCM) is an important tool for sustainable dairying and implementing effective mastitis control strategies. A total of 892 quarters milk samples from 228 lactating cows were screened by California mastitis test (CMT), White side test (WST), Surf field mastitis test (SFMT), and somatic cell count (SCC) to study the prevalence of bovine SCM in some selected areas of Bangladesh. Out of 228 cows, 148 (64.9%), 138 (60.5%), 132 (57.9%), and 164 (71.9%) were found positive for SCM by CMT, WST, SFMT, and SCC, respectively. The prevalence of bovine SCM was diagnosed 45.7, 40.2, 36.6, and 29.6% in Chittagong, Sirajgonj, Mymensingh, and Gazipur districts, respectively, based on a combination of all tests. The overall quarter-wise prevalence of SCM was 45.7, 43.5, 41.2, and 55.0% for CMT, WST, SFMT, and SCC. Single quarters and left front quarters were more prone to SCM (P < 0.05). Friesian crossbred cows (56.4%), BCS 2.0-2.5 (55.4%), and parity 4-6 (52.4%), the late lactation stage (5-8 months; 64.7%) and high yielding cows (16-20 L/day; 65.3%) were more susceptible to SCM (P < 0.05). The sensitivity of the CMT, WST, SFMT, and SCC was 65.8, 57.9, 51.0, and 82.5%; specificity 76.2, 72.4, 69.5, and 89.4%; percentage accuracy 70.0, 64.8, 59.9, and 85.2%; positive predictive value 75.2, 69.8, 64.9, and 92.7%, respectively. The categories of CMT reactions were strongly correlated with SCC (P < 0.05). Kappa value of SCC was higher than that of other tests (SCC>CMT>WST>SFMT). Thus, CMT was concluded to be the most accurate (r = 0.782) field diagnostic test after laboratory test like SCC (r = 0.924). However, the use of any single test may not be reliable in diagnosing SCM, while the result of CMT supported by SCC might be used effectively to pinpoint diagnosis of SCM in dairy animals than alone.

Subclinical mastitis is a significant issue in dairy farming, resulting in economic losses due to reduced milk yield and quality.This study aimed to determine the prevalence of subclinical mastitis in dairy goats and evaluate its association with microbial contamination, somatic cell count (SCC), and milk quality in three major dairy regions of West Sumatra, Indonesia.A total of 54 lactating goats were selected, and 108 milk samples were aseptically collected from Limapuluh Kota, Agam Regency, and Padang City.Subclinical mastitis was diagnosed using the IPB-1 reagent test, followed by SCC assessment using the Breed method.Microbial identification was conducted through culture and biochemical analysis.Total plate count (TPC) and pH were measured using standard procedures, while milk composition (fat, protein, and lactose) was analyzed using a Milkanalyzer MCC Lactoscan.The prevalence of subclinical mastitis was 68.51%, with cases classified into three severity levels based on SCC.The most frequently identified microbial species were Staphylococcus sp.(53%), coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (23%), and Streptococcus sp.(15%).SCC and TPC levels increased with mastitis severity, reaching up to 3.0810cells/mL and 3.410CFU/mL, respectively.Concurrently, milk pH increased from 6.5 to 6.7, while protein and lactose concentrations declined.These results indicate that subclinical mastitis significantly compromises milk quality.Enhanced hygiene and early detection practices are crucial for enhancing udder health and ensuring milk safety in dairy goat farming.

Mastitis is the most common disease affecting dairy cattle and is associated with substantial milk loss. Somatic cell count has been widely used as an indicator of udder inflammation (e.g., subclinical mastitis). More recently, differential somatic cell count (DSCC) has become available as an auxiliary tool for milk quality control, with the potential to indicate different stages of inflammation when combined with SCC. This paper aimed to investigate the association of SCS and DSCC with milk yield and milk components at the quarter level. A convenience sample of 5 dairy herds using an automated milking system (AMS) was selected and visited every other week for milk sample collection. Fat, protein, and lactose content were analyzed at Lactanet (Canadian Network for Dairy Excellence, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada) by mid-infrared spectroscopy using a MilkoScan FT6000. Determination of SCC and DSCC was also performed by Lactanet using a CombiFoss 7 DC instrument. Milk yield data were retrieved from the AMS. Given the hierarchical structure of the data, a linear mixed model was built with either milk yield or milk components as the outcomes. The results showed that elevated SCS, in combination with lower proportions of DSCC, was associated with the highest milk loss for primiparous and multiparous cows. For instance, the estimated milk loss for a quarter with a SCS of 7 and a DSCC of 55% was 1.45 kg/d compared with a quarter with a SCS of 2 and DSCC of 65% in multiparous cows. The association was similar when the outcome was the lactose content. Quarters with elevated SCS and lower DSCC had the lowest lactose percentage. No notable changes in fat content were observed across different SCS levels in multiparous cows, and quarters with higher DSCC had the lowest fat percentage in primiparous and multiparous cows. Protein content tended to be lower in quarters with increased SCS and low DSCC. In quarters from primiparous cows with DSCC levels above 70%, protein content showed slight variation across SCS levels. For multiparous cows, however, protein content remained relatively stable across different SCS and DSCC levels. In conclusion, our findings revealed that the combination of elevated SCS and low DSCC was associated with the most substantial milk loss. These results could be used to optimize udder health management.

Mastitis set apart as clinical and sub clinical is a disease complex of dairy cattle, with sub clinical being the most important economically. Of late, laboratories showed interest in developing biochemical markers to diagnose sub clinical mastitis (SCM) in herds. Many workers reported noteworthy alternation of acute phase proteins (APPs) and nitric oxide, (measured as nitrate+nitrite = NOx) in milk due to intra-mammary inflammation. But, the literature on validation of these parameters as indicators of SCM, particularly in riverine milch buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) milk is inadequate. Hence, the present study focused on comparing several APPs viz. α1- anti trypsin, α1- acid glycoprotein, fibrinogen and NOx as indicators of SCM in buffalo milk. These components in milk were estimated using standardized analytical protocols. Somatic cell count (SCC) was done microscopically. Microbial culture was done on 5% ovine blood agar. Of the 776 buffaloes (3,096 quarters) sampled, only 347 buffaloes comprising 496 quarters were found positive for SCM i.e. milk culture showed growth in blood agar with SCC≥2×105 cells/ml of milk. The cultural examination revealed Gram positive bacteria as the most prevalent etiological agent. It was observed that α1- anti trypsin and NOx had a highly significant (p<0.01) increase in SCM milk, whereas, the increase of α1- acid glycoprotein in infected milk was significant (p<0.05). Fibrinogen was below detection level in both healthy and SCM milk. The percent sensitivity, specificity and accuracy, predictive values and likelihood ratios were calculated taking bacterial culture examination and SCC≥2×105 cells/ml of milk as the benchmark. Udder profile correlation coefficient was also used. Allowing for statistical and epidemiological analysis, it was concluded that α1- anti trypsin indicates SCM irrespective of etiology, whereas α1- acid glycoprotein better diagnosed SCM caused by gram positive bacteria. NOx did not prove to be a good indicator of SCM. It is recommended measuring both α1- anti trypsin and α1- acid glycoprotein in milk to diagnose SCM in buffalo irrespective of etiology.

Pathogen effects on milk yield and composition in chronic subclinical mastitis in dairy cows

Background: Mastitis in sheep is significant due to its ability to cause both clinical and subclinical infections, being one of the most important diseases affecting dairy sheep worldwide. Infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is significant due to its ability to cause both clinical and subclinical mastitis. Procalcitonin (PCT) is a prohormone that increases in cases of bacterial inflammation, sepsis, and multiple organ failure. This study was conducted to determine changes in procalcitonin levels in subclinical and clinical mastitis in sheep. Materials, Methods &amp; Results: The study used 60 Ivesi breed sheep that were within the 1st 45 days of lactation and had not received any medication in the past 20 days. The sheep were divided into 3 groups based on clinical examination, somatic cell count (SCC), California mastitis test (CMT), and results from bacteriological isolation and identification. Group 1 (n = 20) consisted of healthy sheep; Group 2 (n = 20) consisted of sheep with subclinical mastitis, and Group 3 (n = 20) consisted of sheep with clinical mastitis. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein and then centrifuged. Serum Amyloid A (SAA), Haptoglobin (Hp), and Procalcitonin (PCT) levels were assessed using commercial kits. The obtained data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Body temperature and leukocyte count were found to be higher in the clinical mastitis group compared to the other groups (P &lt; 0.001). Somatic cell count (SCC), SAA, Hp, and PCT levels were lowest in the healthy group and highest in the clinical mastitis group (P &lt; 0.001). Significant positive correlations were found between procalcitonin and body temperature, leukocyte count, SCC, SAA, and Hp (r = 0.897, P &lt; 0.01; r = 0.940, P &lt; 0.01; r = 0.985, P &lt; 0.01; r = 0.928, P &lt; 0.01; r = 0.956, P &lt; 0.01, respectively). Discussion: In our study, higher PCT levels were detected in sheep with clinical mastitis. This finding supports the theory that PCT increases in bacterial infections. The presence of infection triggers an inflammatory response, which increases procalcitonin (PCT) production. The increase in leukocyte count and PCT levels reflects the severity of the infection and the immune system's response. This parallel increase explains the positive correlation between PCT and leukocyte count observed in our study. Somatic cell count (SCC) is particularly indicative of mammary gland infections. During mastitis, somatic cells, especially leukocytes, increase in milk. This increase leads to elevated procalcitonin (PCT) levels as part of the inflammatory response. The high correlation between SCC and PCT indicates that both parameters increase in response to the presence and severity of infection. This parallel increase explains the positive correlation between SCC and PCT observed in our study. Serum amyloid A (SAA) is another indicator of the inflammatory response and is classified as an acute phase protein. Both SAA and PCT reflect the severity and extent of the inflammatory response. This parallel increase explains the positive correlation between SAA and PCT observed in our study. Haptoglobin (Hp) is another acute phase protein produced by the liver as part of the inflammatory response. Hp levels increase during infection or tissue damage. Similarly, procalcitonin (PCT) levels also rise in response to inflammatory cytokines. In our study, the positive correlation between Hp and PCT indicates that both biomarkers increase in response to the severity of inflammatory processes. In conclusion, procalcitonin may be a novel biomarker for diagnosing both subclinical and clinical mastitis in sheep. Keywords: sheep, haptoglobin, procalcitonin, biomarker, diagnosis, clinical mastitis, subclinical mastitis, bacterial infection.

Effect of subclinical mastitis detected in the first month of lactation on somatic cell count linear scores, milk yield, fertility, and culling of dairy cows in certified organic herds

Invited review: Mastitis in dairy heifers: Nature of the disease, potential impact, prevention, and control