Mastitis Treatment and Early Diagnosis

Mastitis is the inflammation of the udder tissue (udder lobes) in cows due to bacterial infection. It is considered one of the most costly diseases for dairy farms worldwide. The disease not only severely drops milk yield but also deteriorates the quality of the milk (by increasing somatic cell count) and can cause cows to be culled from the herd at an early age.

What Causes Mastitis and What Are the Symptoms?

Mastitis generally occurs when environmental bacteria (like E. Coli) or contagious bacteria (like Staphylococcus aureus) enter through the teat end. Inadequate barn hygiene, wet beddings, milking machines operating with faulty vacuum power, and the failure to use pre/post-milking teat dip disinfectants are the biggest factors.

In the case of Clinical Mastitis, the symptoms are visible:

Subclinical Mastitis and the Importance of Early Diagnosis

Before the disease shows clinical symptoms (subclinical mastitis), hidden changes begin in the structure of the milk. Farms experience the real economic loss not in clinical mastitis, but in undetected subclinical mastitis. No issue is seen in the color of the milk or the structure of the udder by the human eye.

This is exactly where advanced technology devices like the Dairysense Milk Meter save lives. The Digital Milk Meter measures not only the liters of milk at every milking; but also its conductivity and temperature in seconds. When inflammation starts in the udder, the sodium and chloride ions in the milk increase, which instantly raises the conductivity.

When the system detects an increase in conductivity during milking, it issues a red alert to the herd manager. Before the disease ravages the udder, the farmer can perform a CMT (California Mastitis Test) to confirm the affected lobe and quickly consult a veterinarian. Thanks to early diagnosis, the disease is prevented without the need for heavy antibiotic treatments, and milk losses in the herd are thwarted.