Udder and Teat Morphology Related to Mastitis Resistance: A Review

Abstract

Annual losses by mastitis are estimated to be in excess of two billion dollars in the United States. Udder and teat morphologies have been associated with incidences of mastitis without clear conclusion on the closeness. Streak canal diameter was correlated with udder health, but it is difficult to measure. Udder depth and teat-end shape have been associated with udder health. Selection to reduce frequencies of cows with deep udders and flat, disk, or inverted teat ends may reduce mastitis incidence. Heritabilities of udder morphology are moderate to high, and a single score during the lifetime of a cow may be adequate for selection. There is no concensus in the literature on relationships between mastitis and teat size, general teat shape, teat-end lesions, teat pigmentation, or milk flow rate. Different breeds, milking procedures, measures of mastitis, and statistical procedures may account for different conclusions. Genetic approaches to improve mastitis resistance of dairy cattle seem warranted. This paper attempts to summarize evidence dealing with possible physical bases for genetic variation associated with mastitis in dairy cattle.

Investigation into the production and conformation traits associated with clinical mastitis using artificial neural networks

“…This is somewhat surprising, given a number of studies that showed low to moderate correlations among conformation traits and mastitis or SCC (Seykora and McDaniel 1985;Monardes et al 1990;Rogers et al 1991;Rogers 1993;Schutz et al 1993). Many studies have also suggested approaching the problem through indirect selection for conformation traits (Batra and McAllister 1984;Thomas et al 1984;Monardes et al 1990).…”

A cohort study of the associations between udder conformation, milk somatic cell count, and lamb weight in suckler ewes

“…In dairy cattle, strong evidence exists that poor udder conformation is associated with raised SCC and an increased incidence of clinical mastitis (reviewed by Seykora and McDaniel, 1985). In dairy sheep, a linear appraisal of udder traits has been developed (de la Fuente et al, 1996;Marie-Etancelin et al, 2005;Casu et al, 2006).…”

Morfologia e morfometria das papilas mamárias de búfalas

“…Em bovinos (Rathore & Sheldrake. 1977, Seykora & McDaniel 1985 o formato cilíndrico e o de garrafa têm sido referidos como mais propensos às lesões do óstio, como resultado de ordenha incompleta.…”

“…Vários fatores têm levado a prejuízos na pecuária bovina leiteira, dentre eles: menor comprimento do duto papilar; densidade e composição lipídica na queratina, tônus do mús-culo esfíncter papilar, formato do óstio papilar; amamentação coletiva; manejo inadequado do rebanho, e injúrias promovidas durante a ordenha manual ou mecânica, (Seykora & McDaniel 1985, Nicherson 1987, Shukla et al 1997.…”