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Title: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE MILK SOMATIC CELL COUNT

Author
item Paape, Max
item CONTRERAS, A. - UNIV. OF MURCIA, SPAIN

Submitted to: Flemish Veterinary Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/20/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Abnormal milk control is the most complex and expensive technical problem facing dairymen today. The objective of an abnormal milk control program is to prevent abnormal milk from mastitic udders from moving into human consumption. The milk somatic cell count (MSCC) is the basis for abnormal milk control programs. The last 50 years witnessed the evolution of the MSCC into an accepted parameter for the evaluation of milk quality and as management tool for dairymen the worldwide. The Direct MSCC (DMSCC) was developed to meet the need for a closely standardized reference method in abnormal milk control programs in the United States (US) and European Union (UN) in the late 1960's. In the 1960's and 1970's procedures were developed for electronic MSCC. Control limits for MSCC continued to decline to their current levels of 0.75 X 106 cells/ml in the US, between 0.5 to 0.7 X 106 in Canada, and 0.5 X l06 cells/ml in the EU. On January 1 11998 the MSCC will be lowered to 0.4 X 106 in the EU. While the MSCC is an accepted and validated procedure for evaluating cow milk, it is not applicable to goat milk. Milk SCC for uninfected goats appear to be higher than counts for uninfected cows and sheep. Currently, the MSCC limit is 106 cells/ml in the US. A SC limit has not yet been established for the EU.

Technical Abstract: The milk somatic cell count (MSCC) is the basis of abnormal milk control programs the worldwide. The last 50 years has witnessed the evolution of the MSCC into a reliable and accurate procedure for measuring cells in cow milk. Procedures for counting cells in milk have evolved from microscopic counting of cells to electronic counting. Because of the nature of milk secretion in goats, only counting procedures specific for deoxyribonucleic acid are appropriate for determining SCC on goat milk. Unlike cow's milk, the SCC in goat milk is influenced by additional managerial, environmental, and physiological factors. The current SCC limit for normal cow's milk is <0.75 X 106 in the United States, from <0.5 to <0.7 X 106 in Canada, and <0.5 X 106 in the European Union. For goat milk the limit is <106 in the United States with no limit yet established for the European Union.