Intro to mastitis Flashcards
Define mastitis
inflammation of the mammary gland
What are the possible causes of mastitis?
bacteria
viruses
fungi
physical e.g., trauma
toxins
neoplasia
What are the clinical signs of mastitis
milk changes:
- clots, lumps, strings
- colour change (off white, yellow, red)
- consistency change (watery - thick)
- smell
Inflammation:
- swollen, hot, hard, painful, necrosis of quarter
Systemic illness of varying severity:
- reduced yield
- pyrexia
- anorexia
- recumbency
- tachycardia
-tachypnoea
- collapse
- death
Describe the grades of mastitis
What are types of bacterial mastitis?
contagious
environmental
Describe contagious mastitis
infection spreads cow to cow (usually during milking)
Tends to be mild-moderate severity
Quarters often chronically infected
High somatic cells counts
Shed large amounts of bacteria into milk
What bacteria cause contagious mastitis?
Staphylococcus aureus
Streptococcus agalacticae
Streptococcus dysgalactiae
What bacteria cause environmental mastitis?
E.coli
Strep. uberis
Strep. dysgalactiae
Describe environmental mastitis
environment is ‘reservoir for infection’
mild-moderate cases (severe in small proportion)
Chronic sub-clinical disease typically
What is the 5 point plan of controlling mastitis?
what is the most common treatment for mastitis
aseptic infusion of intra-mammary antibiotic tubes
Describe dry cow therapy in controlling mastitis
Cures existing infections - long acting antibiotic tubes infused at drying off
Prevent new infections - antibiotic dry cow tubes or internal teat sealant
Describe monitoring sub-clinical mastitis
Bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC)
Individual cow somatic cell count
What is the california mastitis test used for?
identifying problem cows and infected quarters
