Invited review: Effect of udder health management practices on herd somatic cell count

Abstract

A systematic review of the scientific literature on relationships between management practices used on dairy farms and herd somatic cell count (SCC) was undertaken to distinguish those management practices that have been consistently shown to be associated with herd SCC from those lacking evidence of association. Relevant literature was identified using a combination of database searches (PubMed, Medline, CAB, Agricola, and Web of Science) and iterative screening of references. To be included in the review, a manuscript had to be published after 1979 in French, English, or Dutch; study design had to be other than case report or case series; herds studied had to be composed of ≥ 40 milking cows producing on average ≥ 7,000kg of milk in 305 d; interventions studied had to be management practices applied at the herd level and used as udder health control strategies; and SCC had to be measured using electronic cell counting methods. The 36 manuscripts selected were mainly observational cross-sectional studies; 8 manuscripts dealt exclusively with automatic milking systems and 4 with management of calves and heifers and its effect on SCC in early lactation heifers. Most practices having consistent associations with SCC were related to milking procedures: wearing gloves during milking, using automatic take-offs, using postmilking teat dipping, milking problem cows last, yearly inspection of the milking system, and use of a technique to keep cows standing following milking; all were consistently associated with lower herd SCC. Other practices associated with lower SCC were the use of a freestall system, sand bedding, cleaning the calving pen after each calving, surveillance of dry-cow udders for mastitis, use of blanket dry-cow therapy, parenteral selenium supplementation, udder hair management, and frequent use of the California Mastitis Test. Regarding SCC of heifers, most of the consistent associations reported were related to interventions made during the peripartum period. Studies on automatic milking systems have frequently reported elevation of the herd SCC following transition to the new system. These elevations seemed to be mediated both by the lack of monitoring of chronically infected cows and by an elevated incidence of intramammary infections. By assembling the results reported in many different studies, this review generates a more comprehensive understanding of the management practices influencing SCC and highlights areas of SCC control knowledge that lack evidence of effectiveness.

Milk losses and quality payment associated with somatic cell counts under different management systems in an arid climate

“…Chi-square relationship tests supported the above results so that herds with manual cluster removal systems showed the highest frequency of cows with SCC ]150 000 (Table 1). The results obtained in the study are in agreement with those in most of the literature as reviewed by Dufour et al (2011), where it was found that automatic cluster removal systems are associated with lower SCC when deployed correctly. In 28% of investigated farms, clusters were removed manually.…”

Why Pain Is Still a Welfare Issue for Farm Animals, and How Facial Expression Could Be the Answer

“…Diseases such as foot-rot which cause significant pain in ruminants, should be targeted for eradication, as has been done in some countries (e.g., Norway [127] and Australia [128]); this is a very effective way of preventing pain and suffering. Incidence of mastitis can be prevented through good housing and hygiene management in the milking parlor as well as in bedded areas [129][130][131]. Disease prevention also comes from early treatment of the disease so as to prevent the spread of infection, reducing the number of animals affected, but also reducing the amount of time animals with the disease will experience pain.…”

Herd level approach to high bulk milk somatic cell count problems in dairy cattle

“…Tools for SCC measurement, such as the California Mastitis Test, may have limited sensitivity and specificity, but their low cost, speed, ease of use, and quarter level results make them valuable in a herd screening and sampling program. Frequent use of the California Mastitis Test has in literature been consistently associated with low HSCC (Dufour et al 2011). Quarter level information on infection status can be important for treatment or culling decisions ) (see further).…”

“…Try to determine when the milking machine was last serviced and how frequently this is done. Milking practices that have consistently been associated with low SCC herds are wearing gloves during milking, using automatic take-offs, using post-milking teat dipping, milking problem cows last, yearly inspection of the milking system, and use of a technique to keep cows standing following milking (Dufour et al 2011). If infected cows, in particular those with S. aureus, cannot be milked last, each teat cup should be manually disinfected by flushing it with hot water (>75 C) for several seconds or by immersing the unit into a hypochlorite, iodine, or peracetic acid solution after milking an infected cow.…”