Bovine udder health

Question 1

What impact does mastitis have on the dairy industry?

Answer 1

Production related disease
Endemic disease
Welfare issue
Public health issue
Economic issue
Wastage

Question 2

What is the definition of mastitis?

Answer 2

Inflammation of the udder

Question 3

What is the definition of an intramammary infection?

Answer 3

Pathogen infection of the udder with or without clinical signs

Question 4

What are the two clinical presentations of mastitis?

Answer 4

Clinical

Subclinical

Question 5

What is clinical mastitis?

Answer 5

Inflammation WITH changes in the udder/milk/systemic

Question 6

What is subclinical mastitis?

Answer 6

Inflammation WITHOUT changes in the udder/milk/systemic

Question 7

What are the two epidemiological origins of mastitis?

Answer 7

Contagious

Environmental

Question 8

What are the features of innate immunity of the udder?

Answer 8

Teat sphincter
Keratin plug
Macrophages
Neutrophils

Question 9

What are features of acquired immunity of the udder?

Answer 9

Immunoglobulins

Lymphocytes

Question 10

What are the 3 stages of the dry period?

Answer 10

Involution
Steady state
Transition

Question 11

When is the rate of new mastitis infection highest?

Answer 11

At drying off and calving

Question 12

How do you diagnose subclinical mastitis?

Answer 12

By detection of immune response - somatic cell count

Question 13

What tests can you do for subclinical mastitis?

Answer 13

California milk test

Somatic cell count

Question 14

What is a normal SCC compared to an infected SCC?

Answer 14

Normal - 5-200K

Infected/raised - 200K-5M

Question 15

What factors affect SCC?

Answer 15

Infection
Age
Stage of lactation - late

Question 16

What is grade 1 clinical mastitis?

Answer 16

Changes to milk only

Question 17

What is grade 2 clinical mastitis?

Answer 17

Changes to the udder

Question 18

What is grade 3 clinical mastitis?

Answer 18

Changes to the cow - sick

Question 19

What are the major contagious pathogens of clinical mastitis?

Answer 19

Staphylococcus aureus
Streptococcus agalactiae
Mycoplasma

Question 20

What other minor pathogens can cause clinical mastitis?

Answer 20

Corynebacterium bovis

Trueperella pyogenes

Question 21

How is staph aureus transmitted?

Answer 21

Mainly cow to cow

Question 22

What type of infection does staph aureus cause?

Answer 22

Persistent infection

Question 23

How is strep agalactiae transmitted/ transmitted?

Answer 23

Cow to cow

Question 24

Which pathogens causing clinical mastitis are now rare?

Answer 24

Strep agalactiae

Mycoplasma

Question 25

How can you control contagious pathogens?

Answer 25

``` Milking routine Parlour function Vaccination Culling Nutrition ```

Question 26

What are the two methods of treating intramammary infections aside from culling?

Answer 26

In lactation | Dry cow therapy

Question 27

What type of mastitis is dry cow therapy the best to treat?

Answer 27

Contagious mastitis

Question 28

What type of mastitis pathogen should you cull?

Answer 28

mycoplasma | Staph aureus

Question 29

What does corynebacterium bovis cause?

Answer 29

Teat duct infections

Question 30

What are the major environmental pathogens causing mastitis?

Answer 30

E coli Strep uberis Klebsiella Enterobacter

Question 31

What are the minor environmental pathogens?

Answer 31

Strep dysgalactiae Pseudomonas Nocardia Yeasts

Question 32

What types of strep are contagious and what types are environmental?

Answer 32

Agalactiae - contagious | Uberis and dysgalactiae - environmental

Question 33

When is strep uberis a major problem?

Answer 33

Dry period - bedding

Question 34

What part of the milking reduces the incidence for environmental mastitis?

Answer 34

Pre milking teat dip/cleaning

Question 35

What forms after drying off and what is used to replicate it?

Answer 35

Keratin plug | Teat sealant

Question 36

What type of dry cow therapy is used now?

Answer 36

Selective dry cow therapy All get teat sealant Only cows that nead it get antibiotics

Question 37

How do you treat coliform environmental pathogens (E coli, Klebsiella, enterobacter)?

Answer 37

According to clinical signs - high self cure rate

Question 38

How do you treat environmental streps (uberis, dysgalactiae)?

Answer 38

Antimicrobial therapy - high recurrence rate if untreated

Question 39

How do you treat most of the more minor environmental pathogens eg. pseudomonas, serratia, yeasts, nocardia?

Answer 39

Very difficult to cure - cull

Question 40

What steps are needed for herd level mastitis investigation?

Answer 40

Data collection and analysis Diagnosis Herd surveys

Question 41

What are the signs that the herd has a contagious mastitis problem?

Answer 41

Long duration Chronic cases Poor cure rate Subclinical

Question 42

What are the signs that the herd has a environmental mastitis problem?

Answer 42

Seasonal effect | Higher new infection rate rather than chronic cases