In the present work the results of a survey conducted in Sardinia Region on Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) contamination in milk of small ruminants from 2005 to 2013 are reported. A total of 517 sheep and 88 goat milk samples from bulk tank, tank trucks and silo tank milk were collected. Analyses were performed by the Regional Farmers Association laboratory using high-performance liquid chromatography fol...

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in milk produced in 37 farms located in the regions of Ribeirão Preto and São Carlos, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Two-hundred and eight samples of milk from individual cows showing subclinical mastitis, and 37 samples of bulk tank milk were analyzed. S. aureus strains were detected in 18 (7.3%) milk sampl...

Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) is a highly infectious pathogen of cattle causing pneumonia, polyarthritis, otitis, and less frequently, subcutaneous abscesses, abortions and meningitis. Ineffective drugs treatments, culling of infected cows and loss of milk production can lead to significant economic loss on dairy farms. The early detection of cows excreting M. bovis bacteria to prevent mastitis o...

The key to properly diagnosing cleaning and sanitation problems is identifying the types of bacteria present in bulk tank milk. Periodic culturing of bulk tank milk is also an essential tool to diagnose milk quality issues related to mastitis. These methods are described in greater detail in Reinemann et al. (2002) and Ruegg and Reinemann (2002). Collection of the type of bulk tank culture data...

The cleaning and sanitation of milking equipment could be consider a critical point in the milking procedure because a cleaning failure could influence the level of bacteria contamination of bulk tank milk. Aim of the study is to monitor the cleaning procedures of milking systems in 7 dairy cows farms in Lombardy and to find a relation between efficacy of cleaning system and the bacterial quali...

BACKGROUND Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is a recently emerged virus of ruminants in Europe. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) are commonly used to detect SBV-specific antibodies in bulk tank milk samples to monitor herd exposure to infection. However, it has previously been shown that a bulk tank milk sample can test positive even though the majority of cows within the herd are seronegati...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections worldwide and has recently been identified as an emerging pathogen in livestock and companion animals. Livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) may be responsible for increased rates of colonization and/or infection among people working on farms. We evaluated the prevalence and molecular character...

The purpose of this study was to assess the association of bulk tank milk standard plate counts, bulk tank coliform counts (CC), and the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in bulk tank milk with various management and farm characteristics on organic and conventional dairy farms throughout New York, Wisconsin, and Oregon. Data from size-matched organic farms (n=192), conventional nongrazing farms...

There is little doubt that raw milk is the most scrutinized agricultural commodity. Appendix N of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance requires that all bulk tank milk be tested for beta-lactam antibiotics. This document also sets the regulatory levels for somatic cell counts (SCC) and bacteria levels in raw bulk tank milk. Milk processors are required to perform the regulatory testing. Many progress...

infection is more problematic since the milk appears normal but usually cell count. Diagnosis of subclinical mastitis can be made in a variety of asurement of the somatic cell count (SCC) level or indirectly by Mastitis Test (CMT) on suspected quarters. Milk culture of suspected site samples) will identify the presence of mastitis pathogens but will the degree of inflammation associated with th...