Dairy Management Practices Associated with Incidence Rate of Clinical Mastitis in Low Somatic Cell Score Herds in France

• Published in: Journal of dairy science Vol. 88; no. 10; pp. 3700 - 3709
• Main Authors: Barnouin, J., Bord, S., Bazin, S., Chassagne, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Savoy, IL Elsevier Inc 01.10.2005; Am Dairy Sci Assoc; American Dairy Science Association
• Subjects: Agricultural sciences; Animal productions; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle; Cell Count; clinical mastitis; dairy management; Dairying - methods; Female; Food industries; France; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Lactation; Life Sciences; Mastitis, Bovine - epidemiology; Milk - cytology; Milk and cheese industries. Ice creams; Models, Statistical; Poisson Distribution; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; somatic cell score; Terrestrial animal productions; Vertebrates; France; Europe; IRCM; clinical mastitis; dairy management; 36-mo SCS; CM; ZMP; somatic cell score; Mastitis; Rate; Dairy industry; Somatic cell; Management; Herd; Incidence; SOMATIC CELL SCORE; MAMMITE CLINIQUE; PRATIQUE D'ELEVAGE LAITIER; CLINICAL MASTITIS; DAIRY MANAGEMENT; SCORE DE CELLULE SOMATIQUE
• ISSN: 0022-0302; 1525-3198
• DOI: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(05)73056-3

An epidemiological prospective study was carried out in French dairy herds with Holstein, Montbéliarde, or Normande cows and with low herd somatic cell scores. The objective was to identify dairy management practices associated with herd incidence rate of clinical mastitis. The studied herds were selected on a national basis, clinical cases were recorded through a standardized system, and a stable dairy management system existed. In the surveyed herds, mean milk yield was 7420kg/cow per yr and mean milk somatic cell score was 2.04 (132,000 cells/mL). Overdispersion Poisson models were performed to investigate risk factors for mastitis incidence rate. From the final model, the herds with the following characteristics had lower incidence rates of clinical mastitis: 1) culling of cows with more than 3 cases of clinical mastitis within a lactation; 2) more than 2 person-years assigned to dairy herd management; 3) balanced concentrate in the cow basal diet. Moreover, herds with the following characteristics had higher incidence rates of clinical mastitis: 1) milking cows loose-housed in a straw yard; 2) no mastitis therapy performed when a single clot was observed in the milk; 3) clusters rinsed using water or soapy water after milking a cow with high somatic cell count; 4) 305-d milk yield >7435kg; 5) herd located in the South region; 6) herd located in the North region; 7) cows with at least 1 nonfunctional quarter; and 8) premilking holding area with a slippery surface. The underlying mechanisms of some highlighted risk factors, such as milk production level and dietary management practices, should be investigated more thoroughly through international collaboration.