Bovine mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland that causes changes in the biochemical composition of the milk and in the gland tissue.
It is one of the most common diseases of dairy cows, especially the Friesian breed, since it is one of the most used breeds to produce milk. Mastitis has a negative impact on the quality and quantity of milk produced, producing losses for the livestock sector. If not treated in time, it can become chronic, and the cow may have to be euthanized.
Keep reading this article on our site to learn all about the symptoms and treatment of bovine mastitis.
Causes
Mastitis is a multifactorial disease, since the infection depends on the germs, the environmental conditions, and the characteristics of the cow. Microorganisms invade the breast tissue causing an inflammation of the gland. We can classify mastitis in:
Contagious mastitis: are caused by microorganisms that live in the mammary gland (mainly Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus). They are transmitted during the milking of the cow, through the contaminated milking machinery, the calf or the incorrect handling of the workers (rags, not using gloves, etc.). They cause a decrease in the amount of milk.
Environmental mastitis: they are caused by microorganisms (environmental streptococcus and coliforms) that live in the environment, and are transmitted between milking and the dry period when the gland does not produce milk. Its presence determines the level of contamination of the farm.
Symptoms
According to their symptoms, mastitis can be classified mainly into:
Subclinical mastitis: it is more difficult to detect than the others. Although no alterations are observed in the milk or in the udder, the count of microorganisms and somatic cells is high.
Clinical mastitis: an inflammation of the affected quarter is observed, even the animal feels pain when touched. The milk is altered with the presence of scaling, clots, discolored whey, and sometimes blood.
Acute mastitis: puts the animal's life at risk. Generalized signs such as fever, decreased milk production, or loss of appetite are also seen.
Diagnosis
In addition to looking at the symptoms of the cow, milk samples will be collected and the following tests can be done to diagnose mastitis in the cow:
- Somatic Cell Count: A high number of somatic cells is associated with reduced milk production (more than 200,000 cells /ml indicates subclinical mastitis).
- Milk bacteria culture: microorganisms causing gland inflammation will be identified (more than 50,000 bacteria/ml can indicate the source of contamination).
- California Mastitis Test: Indicates the number of somatic cells in the milk sampled.
- Other tests.
Treatment
You should know that prevention gives better results and is more efficient than the treatment that can be carried out. The treatment will depend on the causative microorganism and if it is subclinical or clinical, using intramammary antimicrobials, the veterinarian will inform you of the treatment to follow to remedy mastitis in cows.
Prevention
Prevention is key to controlling this disease, and even more important than treatment. Here is a list of preventive measures to prevent contagious mastitis:
- Teat disinfection before and after milking.
- Milk infected cows last.
- Good hygiene during milking.
- Good condition of the milking machine.
- Drying treatment.
- Discard cows with chronic mastitis.
Regarding the preventive measures that must be taken into account to reduce the appearance of mastitis of environmental origin:
- Good food and water.
- Good quality bedding.
- Good hygiene of the facilities.
- Good ventilation.
- Clean and dry nipples.
- Keep cows standing for a while after milking.
