The correlation between California Mastitis Test results and the presence of mastitis pathogens in composite milk samples.

Abstract

Abstract Extract The California Mastitis Test (C.M.T.) was developed by Schalm and Noorlander (1957) and since that time considerable data have been published on the correlation between C.M.T. results and the cell count of the milk samples tested (Barnum and Newbould, 1961; Ewbank, 1962; Gray and Schalm, 1962; Marshall and Edmondson, 1962). Some workers have studied the correlation between C.M.T. results and the presence of mastitis pathogens in milk, notably Barnum and Newbould (1961), Ewbank (1962), Marshall and Edmondson (1962), Ansley and Buol (1965), Painter and Schnepper (1965). Ewbank reported little agreement between the C.M.T. and the presence of traditional pathogenic bacteria but his standard for reading the C.M.T. was set at a comparatively low level — i.e., all doubtful reactions were considered negative.