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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #90930
Title: VARIATION IN THE CONCENTRATION OF SOMATIC CELLS IN DIFFERENT FRACTIONS OF MILK AND ITS APPLICATION IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF INTRAMAMMARY INFECTIION IN GOATS

Author
item CONTRERAS, A - U MURCIA, SPAIN
item PAAPE, MAX
item MILLER, R - USDA BELTSVILLE, MD

Submitted to: Spanish Society for Infectious Diseases of Goats
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/5/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Somatic cell count has been accepted as the best index of inflammatiion in the goat mammary gland. However, the cell count from infected halves may fluctuate considerably. Diagnosis of mastitis should take into account bacteriologic findings, but this requires trained personnel, time and money. Field surveys and experiments cannot usually afford such resources and sometic cell counts is the most widely used method. We studied the relationship between somatic cell count and bacteriologic findings with foremilk samples to predict the probability of udder half infection. Statistical analysis of our data have shown it was possible to predict udder infection from the foremilk somatic cell count with good reliability.

Technical Abstract: Total milk somatic cell content of various fractions of milk collected during milking were estimated by Foss electronic cell counter, to determine which portion provided the best estimate of the number of somatic cells in primary milk and intramammary infection. The first 10 ml fraction did not differ (P > 0.05) from primary milk, but stripping milk contained more (P < 0.05) somatic cells than primary milk. The correlation between the first 10 ml and stripping fractions with primary milk was 0.94 and 0.96, respectively. Both fractions reflected the infectious status of the mammary gland. The data indicated that the first 10 ml of milk could be used for diagnostic bacteriology and to predict the number of somatic cells in primary milk.