Preventing and Treating Mastitis in Cattle Farming

Technical articles - Diseases, Productivity

Dairy_cattle_farming Dairy_cattle_farming Farming Farming Mastitis

Mastitis is the number one pathology in cattle farming. 40% of cows in production are affected. It can cause multiple harmful consequences on the farm:

• Drop in milk production (235 kg average milk production loss per lactation in case of clinical mastitis).
• Weakening of the immune system.
• Animal suffering.
• Herd contamination.
• Genetic waste.
• Culling/death of the animal.
• Economic impact (on average, for a clinical mastitis, €230 per cow per year).
• Stress, especially for the farmer.
• Time spent on detection and treatment.

That is why it is essential to know how to prevent, detect, and cure mastitis.

What is mastitis?

Mastitis is an inflammatory reaction of the mammary gland of infectious, traumatic, or toxic origin. It is a pathology where the udder is infected by bacteria that infiltrate through the teat canal. This infection causes an influx of white blood cells (leukocytes) present to fight it.

Three outcomes are then possible:

• White blood cells eliminate the bacteria: the mastitis is cured.
• Bacteria still manage to settle and symptoms are then visible (infection at the udder level and milk appearance may change): this is clinical mastitis.
• If neither bacteria nor white blood cells prevail, there will be no visible symptoms, only cells in the milk that may indicate infection: this is subclinical mastitis.

Clinical mastitis

Description

Mastitis with visible symptoms. The infection is characterized by the appearance of visible signs on the quarter, the udder, or even the animal. One can observe a change in the milk's appearance (presence of flakes, clots…), one or more quarters swollen, hot, hard, or painful, and in the most severe cases, a general condition impairment of the animal.

Types

These mastitis are called contagious.

Possible causes

Mainly around the milking parlor: milking machine and milking techniques.

Subclinical mastitis

Description

Mastitis without visible symptoms. The cow fights the infection by producing leukocytes in the udder. Only the individual cell count of each cow or the CMT (California Mastitis Test) can identify the presence of this infection.

Types

These mastitis are called environmental.

Possible causes

Mainly around the environment: housing conditions and dry period.

Mastitis are multifactorial pathologies, meaning that it is often the combination of several uncontrolled factors that increase the risk. Risk factors are multiple. It is therefore often difficult, yet necessary, to identify the cause of mastitis.

Detection of cases

In the case of clinical mastitis, one must visually monitor the general condition of the animal (feverish, depressed), palpate and examine the udder, check the milk consistency (presence of clots), and systematically examine the first streams of milk.

For both types of mastitis, clinical or subclinical, one can perform:

• A CMT / leukocyte test / Teepol test which counts the number of somatic cells in the milk.
• An individual count (in a laboratory or at a veterinarian) which counts somatic cells for a single animal.
• Conductivity (notably thanks to milking robots): the increase in conductivity in the first streams is directly proportional to the severity of the udder infection.

Risk factors: a multifactorial disease

Mastitis can be contracted from two types of reservoirs : the mammary reservoir and the environmental reservoir.

During milking: mammary reservoir

It is during milking, more precisely in the milking parlor, that contagious mastitis spread. An infected cow contaminates the equipment which in turn contaminates the next cows.

Outside milking: environmental reservoir

This time it is the contaminated environment, such as bedding or the building, that spreads the disease.

Preventive treatments

While reactivity is essential to detect clinical and subclinical mastitis, prevention is paramount to avoid difficult-to-manage situations. Preventive actions are simpler and more cost-effective to implement. Two indicators should trigger preventive treatments: a mastitis rate above 20% or a cell count above 300,000 cells/ml. It is therefore essential to follow good practices in farming to avoid contamination. These good practices notably include milking technique and hygiene and building hygiene.

Milking

Hygiene before milking

Main techniques:

• Individual cloths: after each milking, clean the cloths either in the washing machine or in a bucket of hot water mixed with disinfectant solution. Have at least one cloth per cow.
• Pre-soaking/pre-foaming and paper wiping: thoroughly cover the entire teat surface, wait at least 30 seconds to allow the product to moisten or even decontaminate the teat before wiping.
• Others:
  • Pre-impregnated wipes: more expensive but simpler and faster.
  • Shower: mainly used for dirty teats as a first wash.
  • Mechanical brush : Rotating brushes allowing mechanical removal of teat dirt.
  • Dry cleaning: reserved for herds with controlled sanitary status. Use paper or wood wool.

In all cases, 15 to 20 seconds per teat are necessary for good cleaning and to promote milk letdown. Even if the teats seem clean, cleaning is mandatory. Whatever the technique, wiping must always be done with an individual cloth, wipe, or paper!

Effectiveness against germs of different techniques + : effective; - : less effective

Techniques	Fight against germs from environmental reservoir	Fight against germs from mammary reservoir
Individual cloths	++	-
Pre-soaking/pre-foaming and paper wiping	+++	+++
Pre-impregnated wipes	+++	++
Shower	++	-
Mechanical brush	++	+ or -
Dry cleaning	++	-

The choice between these techniques depends on:

• The objectives for milk quality.
• The frequency of mastitis.
• The cleanliness of the animals.
• The simplicity, speed, and cost of the method.

Hygiene after milking

Hygiene after milking has three objectives:

• Destroy germs present on the teat skin.
• Preserve teat condition.
• Prevent contamination between milkings by environmental germs.

For this, two techniques: post-dipping and spraying. Spraying is faster but generally does not allow application over the entire teat surface.

Different products are available with three different actions depending on the situation:

• Disinfection (organic acid, chlorhexidine...) all year round.
• Cosmetic action (emollient, softening agents) in case of lesions or to prevent them in winter.
• Barrier effect (polymers forming a film) in case of an outbreak of mastitis from environmental reservoir.
  

Hygiene of the milking place and milker

Before milking

• Wet the platforms before the animals enter to facilitate cleaning at the end of milking.
• Wash hands and forearms carefully, cover wounds on hands or arms with waterproof dressing (presence of staphylococci).
• Wear washable and clean milking clothes.
• Optionally, wear clean disposable gloves to be changed at each milking or disinfect hands with gel hydroalcoholic.

During milking

• If there are cow pats, remove them immediately avoiding splashes, and wash when the group of cows has left.
• Wash hands and forearms if necessary.

After milking

• Scrape and wash the milking parlor and return alleys.
• Scrape and wash the waiting area to reduce dirt on platforms.
• Clean especially the outside of milking clusters, long milk tubes, milking utensils (dipping cup, CMT, lid, bucket, etc.), as well as washing trays. In addition to cleaning milking utensils, disinfecting them is recommended.

Maintenance of the milking machine

The milking parlor is used on average 4 hours/day, about 1500 hours per year. Recommendations are as follows:

• Daily, at each milking: check milking clusters, ensure installation functioning, observe general condition of teats and udder.
• Daily, after each milking: clean and disinfect the milking machine, monitor external hygiene of milking equipment.
• Weekly: check and if necessary restore oil level, check supply of automatic dosing systems with cleaning product.
• Monthly: dust air intake openings, clean pulsator filters and clean filters and grids of vacuum regulator as well as valve and seat.
• Every 6 months: maintain automatic removers and check belt tension.
• Annually: replace teat liners, have removers checked by an authorized agent if in doubt, perform Optitraite® control.

Milking robot

Before milking, hygiene tasks are generally automated. A sudden increase in butyric spores may indicate a cleaning defect. It is then necessary to increase cleaning intensity. Clipping or thermal hair removal of the udder is necessary for quick attachment and helps keep the udder clean.

After milking, there is spraying on the teats. Disinfection of the teat washing device and teat liners is possible depending on the robot model. It may be recommended depending on the herd's sanitary status.

The environment

Ventilation

A poorly ventilated building favors the multiplication of certain microbes including those responsible for mastitis. This is due to the accumulation of heat and humidity. A well-ventilated building thus helps prevent health risks.

It may be useful to call on an advisor (Eilyps for example, which offers analysis of 8 indicators and a report with personalized advice) for assistance.

Bedding maintenance

Coliforms and Streptococcus uberis are microbes causing mastitis and living in bedding. Maintaining animal bedding is therefore crucial to avoid subclinical mastitis.

Maintenance of a straw bedded area

First, ensure that the available surface is sufficient (minimum 7m² of lying surface per lactating cow and 10 to 12 m² per dry cow). Then, the cleanliness of the straw bedded area keeps animals clean. To maintain proper cleanliness, straw and scrape daily. The optimal straw quantity is 1 to 1.2 kg/m². After scraping, multiply these figures by two to rebuild a sufficient mattress. If the straw bedding is thicker, adjust scraping frequency. Indeed, with a larger volume of straw, the bed will oxygenate and heat up faster, requiring more frequent scraping. Regular scraping is mandatory to maintain hygiene in the building. It must be done as soon as bedding deteriorates (wetting, mound formation). Temperature monitoring can help decide scraping frequency. Consider scraping when temperature at 10 cm depth reaches 35°C. Finally, isolate cows in heat to prevent rapid bedding deterioration.

Cattle hygiene scales

Maintenance of cubicles

Here too, straw and scrape daily. In slurry systems, use 1kg of straw per cow per day. In manure systems, use 2.5 kg. If possible, scrape twice a day or more if the farm is equipped with a mechanical scraper. Also consider using quality bedding, stored protected from moisture, in a covered building or under a tarp. Bedding showing mold traces must not be used for cows.

Feeding and watering

Feeding has indirect effects on the occurrence of mastitis. Weakening of immune defenses makes the animal more vulnerable to bacterial pressure. For example, an energy imbalance early in lactation can cause acetonaemia which will weaken the animal. Its immune system will thus be less effective in fighting bacteria.

Water quality also has a significant impact on herd health. More precisely, microbiological quality affects herd health. It is recommended to analyze water at least once a year. In case of milk quality problems, repeat analysis for specific research.

Thus, for good animal health and their ability to react to infections, it is necessary to follow classic feeding recommendations:

• Cover needs according to the animal's physiological stage.
• Balance rations.
• Proper dietary transitions.

Moreover, several micronutrients such as vitamins E and A, ß-carotene, selenium, or iron are involved in proper immune system functioning. Deficiencies or excesses of these micronutrients can increase cows' susceptibility to udder infections.

Genetics

Each farmer must define a selection goal for their herd (such as reducing cell count) and especially keep the course over several years. This is essential to truly improve genetic level.

Cells and mastitis are now indexed and allow the farmer to improve their stock. Three indexes exist:

• The "cells" index ("CEL") based on somatic cell count.
• The "clinical mastitis" index ("MACL") based on clinical mastitis.
• The "udder health" index ("STMA"). This udder health criterion is an essential tool for choosing replacement females because the farmer can know its value early for their calf thanks to genotyping.

Curative treatments

First of all, it is necessary to identify the bacterium responsible for mastitis. Bacteriological analyses must be performed regularly. Indeed, the epidemiological profile can vary according to season, calving period, milkers... When the bacterium is known, make an appointment with your veterinarian to review treatments used during lactation and dry period. These two treatments must be distinguished.

Treatment of mastitis during lactation

In partnership with the veterinarian, a health assessment is carried out once a year and allows establishing a treatment protocol for the farm. The treatment protocol defines the types of pathology on the farm and associated treatments. Depending on the evolution of pathologies during the year, it is advised to update it with your veterinarian.

Treatment of mastitis at drying off

They aim to cleanse leukocytic or mastitic cows, new, doubtful, or chronically infected within the treatment protocol.

Treatments will be monitored quarterly to refine the effectiveness of protocols implemented. To avoid antibiotic efficacy decline, their use must be controlled: limited use, respect veterinary prescriptions, choice of molecules...

Other alternative methods are developing such as essential oils, homeopathy, or acupuncture.

It is best to conduct annual refreshers, to know the latest developments, refine the protocol, and revalidate working methods.

Ask your livestock advisor for advice

Whatever the problem (outbreak of clinical mastitis or increase in cells), it is always useful to call on an advisor.

The goal is to act before the situation becomes dramatic and financially impactful.

A milk quality expert will assess the starting situation to support you. During visits on your site, they will propose adapted and personalized solutions, with follow-up to evaluate results after interventions.

For maximum accuracy, recording farm data (clinical mastitis, individual counts...) allows a global view and optimizes advice and future results.

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