Mastitis, result of intramammary infections, exhibits serious economic problem in dairy sector due to the loss in milk yield and quality. Clinical and subclinical occurrence are common where subclinical cases are asymptomatic and need additional diagnostic tools for identification. Somatic cell counts (SCCs) in raw milk are an indicator for intramammary Intra-mammary infections (IMI) infections and thus helpful in subclinical mastitis forecasting. Somatic cells of 100,000 cells per ml are regarded as normal for uninfected milk and elevation above 200,000 cells per ml suspects IMI in cattle. The Somatic cell count (SCC) can be estimated with direct microscopic method or by flow cytometry. The major concerns of higher SCC are due to the hazardous effect on milk yield, milk quality, products processing, and pathogens that may have zoonotic importance. Good hygienic practices in shed and supplementations in rations can lower SCC and reduction of IMI. The regular monitoring of SCC is the pathway for early prediction of subclinical cases and assessing udder health management techniques for beneficent dairy business.

Udder and teat conformations and measurements play a vital role in milk productivity and mastitis resistance in dairy buffaloes. The study was conducted on apparently healthy 24 Murrah buffaloes running on different parities selected from 3 different farms in the Chitwan district of Nepal to find the relation between phenotypic characteristics of udder and milk yield. The shapes of the teat and udder were evaluated by a visual appraisal that revealed 42.7% funnel, 26% bottle, 16.7% cylindrical, 14.6% conical-shaped teats, and 37.5% round, 33.3% bowl, and 16.7% goaty, and 12.5% stepped shaped udders. The average length, width, and depth of the udder were determined as 54.50±0.92 cm, 19.33±0.46 cm, and 27.50±1.10 cm, respectively, while the respective length and diameter of the teat were 8.46±0.17 cm and 3.59±0.07 cm. Within udder quarters, teat length was significantly different (p < 0.05) though the diameter was non-significant. However, the teat length and teat diameter differed along the teat and udder shapes showing the highest measures at bottle-shaped teats and goaty-shaped udder. The average milk yield/day recorded was 5.90±0.36 kg per buffalo. Higher milk yield was observed in the round-shaped udder and conical-shaped teat. The correlation of udder width (r= 0.237, p<0.05) and teat length (r= 0.222, p<0.05) was observed significantly positive but that of teat to floor distance (r= -0.232, p<0.05) was negative with milk yield. Hence, the selection of Murrah buffaloes for milk production traits should consider the dimensions of the teat and udder.