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Somatic Cell Count (SCC) and mastitis
management application for dairy farmsPresentation for dairy farmers
and veterinarians (DVM) , milk
producers, herd managers,
cattle owners, udder hygiene
or feed additive specialists,
external DHI (dairy herd
improvement) lab analysis.
October 2015
Belgium/Canada
Website :
www.ekomilk.eu
www.mastitismonitoring.com
Aug 2015 Easy cell count and mastitis control www.ekomilk.eu2
Mastitis: introduction
Mastitis is an inflammation of the udder. It’s
a potentially infectious disease affecting the
cow’s (cattle and by extension, livestock:
sheep, goat, buffalo) udder in various
degrees of intensity. It’s caused by more
than 50 distinct organisms. In most cases,
one or several of the 10 common
microorganisms are present:
• Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CNS)
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Streptococcus agalactiae
• Streptococcus dysgalactiae
• Streptococcus uberis
• Coliformes
• Pseudomonas
• Corynebacterium
• Mycoplasma
• Prototheca
• Klebsiella
Aug 2015 Easy cell count and mastitis control www.ekomilk.eu3
Clinical Mastitis
In case of clinical mastitis, the infected
quarter is usually inflamed. Usually, the milk
will contain coagulations and there can be
pain, peeling of the teat skin, faded serous
milk and in certain cases blood.
In more severe cases (accute mastitis), the
cow shows general signs: fever, loss of
apetite, accelerated pulse, sharp reduction
of milk production, a change in the milk
composition for
proteins/fats/lactose/minerals.
Aug 2015 Easy cell count and mastitis control www.ekomilk.eu4
Subclinical Mastitis
In contrast, subclinical mastitis is more
subtle. Subclinical mastitis is 15 to 40 times
more common than clinical mastitis.
The cow appears healthy, the udder does
not show any sign of inflammation and the
milk appears normal.
The microorganisms and white cells in the
milk (somatic cells, especially
leucocytes/leukocytes) which are fighting
the infection are present in large numbers in
the milk. This high level of somatic cells can
be measured (somatic cell count or SCC)
with a reliable method.
Aug 2015 Easy cell count and mastitis control www.ekomilk.eu5
Mastitis and cell count (CCS)
The somatic cell count in milk is an
indicator of the health status of the udder.
There is a clear (cor)relation between this
figure and milk production losses.
The term ‘somatic cell count – SCC’
indicates a concentration of different
leucocytes (or leukocytes) and epithelial
cells in 1 ml of milk.
Currently, the SCC is widely acepted as
classical method to monitor the health
status of the mammary gland of dairy female
animals.
Aug 2015 Easy cell count and mastitis control www.ekomilk.eu6
Mastitis and cell count (CCS)
The SCC is performed on more than 10
million samples every month in more than
30 countries worldwide (for instance
Philpot, W.N. and S.C. Nickerson. 1991.
Mastitis: Counter attack. Babson Bros. Co.
II., USA.).
Generally, an increase in the SCC level
indicates an increased level of inflammation
in the mammary gland. The motivation of
veterinarians (DVM) and dairy producers to
reduce the SCC is (ao) based on the proven
relation between SCC and milk production
losses.
Aug 2015 Easy cell count and mastitis control www.ekomilk.eu7