Genetic parameters for somatic cell count for three dairy breeds in the united kingdom (uk)

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 ◽  
pp. 128-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
R A Mrode ◽  
G J T Swanson ◽  
M S Winters
Keyword(s):  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Cell Count ◽  
Genetic Parameters ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
Clinical Mastitis ◽  
Average Cell ◽  
Somatic Cell Counts ◽  
Cell Counts

Mastitis constitutes a major source of economic loss in the national dairy herd. Although good management practices can produce a major reduction in mastitis, there is considerable interest in the reduction of mastitis through breeding. Somatic cell counts (SCC) have been used as a way of indirectly measuring sub-clinical mastitis within a herd. Since 1991, average cell count is obtained for all herds and this is used to adjust milk payments.Milk recording organisations introduced a cow cell count service in 1990. The data are now available for the preliminary analysis of the usefulness of somatic cell counts. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for SCC for three major breeds in the UK.

Reliability of the bulk milk somatic cell count as an indication of average herd somatic cell count

2009 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 490-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Lievaart ◽  
Herman W Barkema ◽  
Henk Hogeveen ◽  
Wim Kremer
Keyword(s):  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Cell Count ◽  
Somatic Cell Count ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Subclinical Mastitis ◽  
Clinical Mastitis ◽  
Bulk Milk ◽  
Sampling Variation ◽  
The Difference

Bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) is a frequently used parameter to estimate the subclinical mastitis prevalence in a dairy herd, but it often differs considerably from the average SCC of all individual cows in milk. In this study, first the sampling variation was determined on 53 dairy farms with a BMSCC ranging from 56 000 to 441 000 cells/ml by collecting five samples on each farm of the same bulk tank. The average absolute sampling variation ranged from 1800 to 19 800 cells/ml. To what extent BMSCC represents all lactating cows was evaluated in another 246 farms by comparing BMSCC to the average herd SCC corrected for milk yield (CHSCC), after the difference was corrected for the sampling variation of BMSCC. On average BMSCC was 49 000 cells/ml lower than CHSCC, ranging from −10 000 cells/ml to 182 000 cells/ml, while the difference increased with an increasing BMSCC. Subsequently, management practices associated with existing differences were identified. Farms with a small (<20%) difference between BMSCC and CHSCC administered intramuscular antibiotics for the treatment of clinical mastitis more often, used the high SCC history when cows were dried off more frequently and had a higher number of treatments per clinical mastitis case compared with farms with a large (⩾20%) difference. Farms feeding high-SCC milk or milk with antibiotic residues to calves were 2·4-times more likely to have a large difference. Although sampling variation influences the differences between BMSCC and CHSCC, the remaining difference is still important and should be considered when BMSCC is used to review the average herd SCC and the subclinical mastitis prevalence.

Estimation of genetic parameters for milk cell count and correlations with production traits in friesian holstein heifers

1991 ◽  
Vol 1991 ◽  
pp. 168-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.J.T. Swanson ◽  
A. Gnanasakthy
Keyword(s):  
Cell Count ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
Production Traits ◽  
The Third ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
Herd Milk ◽  
Mastitis Control

Mastitis is a major source of culling and economic loss in the dairy herd. To date in England and Wales the main monitor of mastitis both within a herd and nationally is provided by monthly herd milk cell counts. The main thrust of mastitis control programmes has been to improve management practices such as dry cow treatment and milk machine testing. Interest has also been shown in the use of milk cell count as an indirect means of selecting for resistance to mastitis infection. Wood and Booth (1983) indicated that the cell count at the third monthly recording had the highest correlation with lactation mean cell count. The objective of this study was to estimate the herilability of somatic cell count, taken at the third recording after calving in the heifer lactation and to examine the association between cell count and production traits.

Associations between somatic cell counts at calving or prior to drying-off and clinical mastitis in the remaining or subsequent lactation

2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Cathrine Whist ◽  
Olav Østerås
Keyword(s):  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Clinical Mastitis ◽  
Cow Milk ◽  
Somatic Cell Counts ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Increased Risk

Data from 350 herds enrolled in the Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording System (NDHRS) were used to investigate the associations between the first two cow-milk somatic cell counts (SCC) test-days’ results after calving or the three last SCC test-days prior to drying off in the first lactation and the hazard ratio (HR) of clinical mastitis (CM) during the remaining first or the subsequent second lactation respectively. Altogether, 9519 first lactations and 6046 second lactations were included. Cox regression analyses adjusted for herd frailty effect were used. In the first lactation, SCC>40000 cells/ml on the first or second test-day was significantly associated with an increased risk of a CM event in the remaining first lactation. HR, compared with 10000 cells/ml, increased from 1·6 (1·4) for SCC of 40000–60000 cells/ml to 6·9 (4·2) for SCC >800000 cells/ml, when using the first (second) SCC test-day in the first lactation. Cows with a geometric mean of the three last SCC test-days between 50000 and 100000 cells/ml and between 401000 and 800000 cells/ml in the first lactation had HR of CM during the second lactation of 1·3 and 2·8 respectively compared with a reference group of 10000–20000 cells/ml. If a CM episode in the first lactation occurred, the HR for having a CM event during the second lactation was 1·5. There was a significant frailty effect which disappeared if the incidence rate of CM at herd level was included in the model.

Mastitis vaccination using a commercial polyvalent vaccine or a herd-specific Staphylococcus aureus vaccine

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (04) ◽  
pp. 219-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Hamedy ◽  
Oliver Passarge ◽  
Axel Sobiraj ◽  
Markus Freick ◽  
Yvonne Frank ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Cell Count ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Somatic Cell Count ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Clinical Mastitis ◽  
Health State ◽  
Udder Health ◽  
Milk Samples ◽  
Cell Counts

Summary Objective of this study was the improvement of selected parameters of udder health by mastitis vaccination in a dairy herd with elevated bulk milk somatic cell counts and Staphylococcus (S.) aureus as predominant mastitis causing pathogen. Material and methods: On a dairy farm, pregnant heifers (status group [SG] 1; n = 181) as well as cows stratified for their udder health state (classification based on results of cytobacteriological investigations of quarter milk samples obtained before dry cow therapy [MS0]) (SG 2–4; n = 416) were randomly assigned to one of the following vaccination groups (VG): Startvac® (VG SV), Bestvac® Rind Mastitis (containing herd-specific S. aureus-strains; VG BV) and the unvaccinated control (VG Co, placebo), respectively. The collected data (5 [MS5] and 52 [MS52] days in milk [DIM]: quarter milk somatic cell count [QSCC] and bacteriological investigation of quarter milk samples; dairy herd improvement test [DHIT] days 1–10: milk yield and individual cow somatic cell count; until 305 DIM: clinical mastitis cases) were compared between the VG within their SG. Results: S. aureus prevalences were significantly lower in VG SV (p < 0.001) and VG BV (p = 0.006) within SG 3 and in VG SV (p = 0.008) within SG 4, respectively, in comparison to VG Co. Milk yields (DHIT days [p = 0.042] and 305-day milk yield [p = 0.040]) were significantly less in VG SV within SG 4 compared to VG Co. Significant different changes over time in comparison to VG Co indicating a vaccine effect during lactation were only observed for QSCC within SG 4 for VG BV (p = 0.017; increase towards MS52) and for S. aureus prevalence within SG 3 for VG BV (p < 0.001; opposing trends from MS0 towards MS52). All other interactions of time and VG under investigation were not significant in any of the SG. Furthermore, there were no descriptive differences in the incidence of clinical mastitis and duration of a necessary mastitis therapy, respectively, between the VG within their SG. Conclusion: In this field study, the application of two different mastitis vaccines was not an appropriate tool to improve the considered parameters of udder health sustainably.

NORMAL MILK SOMATIC CELL COUNTS

1972 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 261-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Natzke ◽  
R. W. Everett ◽  
D. S. Postle
Keyword(s):  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Cell Count ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Infection Status ◽  
Upward Trend ◽  
Average Cell ◽  
Somatic Cell Counts ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Significant Change ◽  
Approximate Doubling

Samples were collected during various stages of lactation from cows in commercial dairy herds in which the infection status was known. The average cell count of all cows uninfected at the time of sampling was 214,000/ml. For each quarter infected there was an approximate doubling of cell counts of the composite milk. Uninfected cows at the time of sampling had a low cell count and showed little upward trend through the first five lactations. Cell counts from these cows tended to be highest in the first two weeks post calving, lowest in mid-lactation, and intermediate at drying off. Cows with lactations of more than 305 days had higher cell counts probably because of undetected new infections. Cell levels from cows which were uninfected for three years showed no significant change (P &lt; .05) caused by lactation age or stage.

Evaluation of low cost in-line milk samplers for estimating individual cow somatic cell counts

1997 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
TIMOTHY CLARKE ◽  
SIMON-PETER ANDREWS ◽  
PETER J. MOATE ◽  
CARMEL A. POLLINO ◽  
WERNER L. SCHMIDT
Keyword(s):  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Cell Count ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Large Collection ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Somatic Cell Counts ◽  
Milk Samples ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
High Line

The Dairy Herd Improvement Fund of Victoria recently identified a requirement for a simple and inexpensive in-line sampler to enable dairy farmers to collect representative milk samples for counting somatic cells. We found that the currently available simple in-line milk samplers, when connected to standard 35 ml collection vessels, terminate sampling early in a milking, and thus provide samples that are unrepresentative of the whole milking. We showed that cell count during a milking varies greatly, tending to be high for the first 1–2 l. Analyses of resulting samples will thus tend to overestimate cell counts if samplers are used in their traditional way. We found greater sampling rates in high-line compared with low-line milking systems, and consequently developed modified samplers suitable for both situations. Our samplers utilize low sampling rates (∼1–3%) and large collection vessels (450 ml). Compared with currently available simple in-line samplers, our type of sampler provided milk samples considerably more representative of the entire milking for the majority of cows. In conjunction with subsampling, they provided samples of appropriate size (12·5 ml minimum to 25 ml maximum) for testing fat, protein, lactose and cell count. Cell count results indicated that errors associated with the use of currently available simple in-line samplers could frequently be >200%. In contrast, we found that use of our samplers gave an estimate for cell count that was only slightly higher (mean 20%) than that from samples collected by an approved Tru-Test sampler.

Comparison of milk production, mastitis, lameness and days to conception of Brown Swiss, Holstein and Holstein cross Brown Swiss dairy cattle

2006 ◽  
Vol 2006 ◽  
pp. 86-86
Author(s):  
G Wellwood ◽  
J K Margerison
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Complex Disease ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
Brown Swiss ◽  
Somatic Cell Counts ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Holstein Friesian

Mastitis is a complex disease causing inflammation of the udder, which has been estimated to cost the dairy farmer between £40-£117/cow per year (Stott et al., 2002). Economic loss occurs as a result of discarded milk, reduced milk yield and milk quality, increased vet costs and an increase in replacement costs. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of breed on the incidence of mastitis and somatic cell counts and milk production capabilities of Holstein Friesian, Brown Swiss and Brown Swiss crossbred cows.

Effects of season, milking routine and cow cleanliness on bacterial and somatic cell counts of bulk tank milk

2011 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 436-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maddalena Zucali ◽  
Luciana Bava ◽  
Alberto Tamburini ◽  
Milena Brasca ◽  
Laura Vanoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Cell Count ◽  
Somatic Cell Count ◽  
Bacterial Count ◽  
Cold Season ◽  
Plate Count ◽  
Bulk Tank Milk ◽  
Somatic Cell Counts ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Bulk Tank

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of season, cow cleanliness and milking routine on bacterial and somatic cell counts of bulk tank milk. A total of 22 dairy farms in Lombardy (Italy) were visited three times in a year in different seasons. During each visit, samples of bulk tank milk were taken for bacterial and somatic cell counts; swabs from the teat surface of a group of cows were collected after teat cleaning and before milking. Cow cleanliness was assessed by scoring udder, flanks and legs of all milking cows using a 4-point scale system. Season affected cow cleanliness with a significantly higher percentage of non-clean (NC) cows during Cold compared with Mild season. Standard plate count (SPC), laboratory pasteurization count (LPC), coliform count (CC) and somatic cell count, expressed as linear score (LS), in milk significantly increased in Hot compared with Cold season. Coagulase-positive staphylococci on teat swabs showed higher counts in Cold season in comparison with the other ones. The effect of cow cleanliness was significant for SPC, psychrotrophic bacterial count (PBC), CC and Escherichia coli in bulk tank milk. Somatic cell count showed a relationship with udder hygiene score. Milking operation routine strongly affected bacterial counts and LS of bulk tank milk: farms that accomplished a comprehensive milking scheme including two or more operations among forestripping, pre-dipping and post-dipping had lower teat contamination and lower milk SPC, PBC, LPC, CC and LS than farms that did not carry out any operation.

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