This material was presented on November 11, 2010 as part of DAIReXNET's "Managing Somatic Cell Counts" webinar.

1. How to Control Mastitis and Lower
Herd Milk Somatic Cell Count
Keys in prevention of mastitis and
practices to lower and maintain
lowered SCC
Larry Fox
Professor, Washington State University

2. Key to Mastitis Prevention
• Keep the bugs away from the teats

3. Boy in the Bubble- David Demaret

4. Objectives of Discussion
• 1) Define mastitis
• 2) Describe the mastitis triangle
• 3) Discuss host immunity
• 4) Discuss the mastitis pathogens
• 5) Describe how control over the
environment can lead to mastitis
abatement.

5. Mastitis Triangle
Mastitis
Pathogen
Environment Host

6. How to Decrease Mastitis
• Understand:
– There are 3 types of mastitis pathogens-
– The contagious
– The environmental
– The opportunists

7. Mastitis Control- Pathogens
• Contagious mastitis-
– Chiefly Staphylococcus aureus
– Mycoplasma sp. and Streptococcus
agalactiae

8. Mastitis Control- Pathogens
• Environmental mastitis-
– Coliforms (Escherichia coli & Klebsiella
sp.)
– Other Streptococci (S. uberis and
dysgalactiae)

9. Mastitis Control- Pathogens

10. Host-Pathogen Interaction
• The response

11. Teat End
Anatomy
Alveolus

16. Sentinel for Mastitis
• The milk leucocyte (milk somatic cell)

17. Mastitis Control- Practices
• Contagious mastitis
• Disinfectant in the wash water or pre-
dip
– Wash water- 10 ppm iodine
– Predip 0.1% iodine, 10,000 ppm
– Single Service towels
• Cloth vs paper towel

18. Mastitis Control- Practices
• Contagious mastitis
• Disposable or rubber gloves
• Post dip (1.0% iodine)
• Backflush (1 liter/cup,
– 100ppm iodine)

19. Mastitis Control- Practices
• Segregation
• Culling
X

20. Mastitis Control- Practices
• Environmentals-
• Cleanliness
• Cleaning rear meter of stall
• Clean and dry, dry, dry
• Anticipate worst months
• Culling?

21. Mastitis Control- Pathogens

22. Mastitis Control- Practices
• Lactating Cow therapy
– Necessary but
– Reflects the inability to prevent
• Dry Cow therapy
– Longer acting dose
– More potent dose
– No milk withhold
– Meat withdrawal not a concern

23. Mastitis Control- Practices
• Dry Cow therapy
– Longer acting dose
– More potent dose
– No milk withhold
– Meat withdrawal not a concern
• Other factors
– Teat sealant

24. Teat Sealant

25. Mastitis Control- Practices
• Dry Cow therapy and Teat Sealant
– Bactericidal action of the antibiotic
– Internal teat sealant- (bismuth subnitrate)
– External teat sealant
– Teat sealants as a physical barrier

26. Mastitis Control- Practices
• Opportunists
• Milking equipment function
• Teat Dip

27. Relationship between milk
leukocyte and milk quality
• As leukocytes increase, quality
decreases
Casein
Cheese yield
Shelf life
Taste

28. Tissue Damage Result
• Change in composition
– Influx of salt ions
– Decrease in lactose
– Decrease in milk protein,
casein
• Decrease in production

29. Mastitis Causes
•$
• Milk quality and quantity suffer

30. Objectives of Discussion
• 1) Define mastitis
• 2) Describe the mastitis triangle
• 3) Discuss host immunity
• 4) Discuss the mastitis pathogens
• 5) Describe how control over the
environment can lead to mastitis
abatement.

31. Mastitis Control in a Nutshell
• Keep the bugs away from the teats as best
as possible
• Help the cow achieve maximal immunity
• Cow comfort, good nutrition but not
immune/mineral/vitamin stimulants