New Concepts on Bovine Mastitis Control

Refining the recommended approach to mastitis control in dairy herds is a continual process. Recently developed concepts and practices are described. INTRODUCTION Even though great technological advances have been made, mastitis continues a major economic issue for dairy producers. Thus, researchers and dairy advisors continue to refine the National Mastitis Council (NMC) recommended mastitis control program. The objective of this paper is to describe the most significant mastitis control concepts published recently for the prevention of new intramammary infection (IMI), the elimination of existing infections and the monitoring of udder health status. PREVENTION OF NEW INTRAMAMMARY INFECTIONS Between regions of the world, major differences remain in the standard approaches used for pre-milking udder preparation. A summary of the literature and extension information in the area of milking management would suggest that a wide variety of methods can lead to the efficient and appropriate harvesting of milk. In some systems, pre-milking udder preparation is important for minimizing bacterial contamination, avoiding disinfectant residues and properly stimulating milk letdown. Assessment of the efficiency of the milking process remains as a substantial challenge. Use of the Lactocorder instrument has recently been described for objectively assessing milk flow relative to milking management methods and automatic machine take-off settings. This method shows considerable promise as a practical tool to evaluate current milking management, and to demonstrate the impact of proposed changes. Implementation of post-milking teat disinfection is almost unanimous throughout the North American dairy industry for the control of contagious pathogens. It is recommended that all teats of all cows be dipped in an effective post-milking teat disinfectant after every milking. A bibliography of peer-reviewed publications that document the efficacy of teat disinfection products is published annually. Nevertheless, there continues to be major regional differences throughout the world with respect to the importance of this milking management practice. It remains important that each dairy herd develop and document a milking management protocol that is efficient, and that achieves the udder health goals of the herd. Published in IVIS with the permission of the WBC Close window to return to IVIS