Herd level mastitis

Question 1

Describe how to reduce antibiotic use in mastitis control

Answer 1

Prevent NEW mastitis infections from occurring?- avoid the need- most important

Question 2

what are the 3 things you are trying to control in mastitis

Answer 2

“Contagious” mastitis infections
Milking cow environment infections
Dry period environment infections

Question 3

what does the 5 point plan focus on

Answer 3

milking period - minimising contamination at this time
has helped reduce contagious mastitis

Question 4

List 5 ways to reduce environmental dry cow mastitis infections

Answer 4

change bedding daily
1.25m2 of bedded area per 1000 litres yield
cleaning out calving pens between cows
use of internal teat sealants
moving groups of dry cows every 2 weeks if managed at pasture - to prevent build up on pasture

Question 4

List 5 things to reduce contagious mastitis

Answer 4

treat clinical cases
culling/ segregating persisitently infected cows
post-milking disinfection
sanitising the milking cluster
treatment of infection cows with AB dry cow therapy

Question 5

list 7 ways to reduce new environmental mastitis infections during lactation period

Answer 5

bedding daily - especially organic bedding
cleaning cubicles
well ventilated buildings
scraping collecting yards after every milking
pre-milking teat disinfectant
living space per cow
use of internal teat sealents

Question 6

why is dry cow more at risk of mastitis

Answer 6

before calving- colostro-genesis, reduced immune function, keratin ‘plugs’ break down-

After drying off- cisternal pressure, phagocytosis of fat cells, casein leucocytes

both increase pressures on the cow - won’t be clinical cases

Question 7

T/F research shows that cases within 30 days after calving are very likely to be associated with dry period infections

Answer 7

True

Question 8

What are clinical mastitis cases occuring >30 DiM most likely caused by

Answer 8

lactating period origin
less likely to be caused by dry period origin infection

Question 9

what are clinical mastitis occuring <30DiM most likely caused by

Answer 9

dry period origin
MORE LIKELY to be caused by dry period origin infections

Question 10

List 2 ways in which you can look at cow data to see where the mastitis is coming from

Answer 10

SCC before drying off and after and compare
look at proportion of cows that get mastitis in the first 30 days - see if dry cow problem

Question 11

Why are mastitis infections important at herd level

Answer 11

cow welfare (prevalence)
reduced milk quality
loss of milk yield
risk of culling
use of ABs

Question 12

what is environmental mastitis infection

Answer 12

infection acquired during the milking process from pathogens already on the teat

Question 13

what is contagious mastitis

Answer 13

infection acquired after the milking process from pathogens getting left behind on the teats

Question 14

what is the significance of more than 10% of cows tested having >200,000cells/ml at the first milk recording after calving?

Answer 14

Likely dry period origin mastitis

Question 15

What is the 5 point plan for controlling mastitis

Answer 15

1. Milk machine test
2. Teat dipping
3. Dry cow therapy
4. Treatment of clinical cases
5. Cull chronic cases

Question 16

Are the majority of new mastitis cases contagious or environmental?

Answer 16

Environmental as contagious is being controlled more effectively now

Question 17

What is a good target for first cases of clinical mastitis in cows <30 days in milk

Answer 17

No more than 1/12 cows affected in the first month