What is Mastitis?
Mastitis is the inflammation of the mammary gland that affects the health and welfare of ruminants. It is a c ...
Mastitis can be presented in 3 forms: clinical, subclinical and chronic.
- Clinical mastitis: Visible signs include swelling, redness, heat, and pain in the udder, along with changes in milk appearance such as clots or discoloration. In the most severe cases, clinical mastitis can be fatal for the cow.
- Subclinical mastitis: This form is more insidious, with no obvious symptoms. It is usually detected through increased somatic cell counts in milk or bacterial cultures.
- Chronic mastitis refers to a long-lasting inflammation of the breast tissue, which may or may not involve infection. It differs from acute mastitis in its persistence and often subtler symptoms.
Economic and Environmental Impact
The economic and environmental impact of mastitis are significant:
- Reduced milk production: Infected cows produce less milk, and the quality of milk is often compromised.
- Treatment costs: Expenses for antibiotics and supportive care can be substantial.
- Premature culling: Severely affected cows may need to be culled earlier than planned, leading to loss of valuable livestock
- Reduced fertility: Mastitis is also known to significantly alter reproductive performances in dairy herds.
In Canada, it is estimated that 1 in 5 cows experiences at least one case of clinical mastitis per lactation (S. LeBlanc, University of Guelph, 2024). An increase of 1 unit in the herd’s average linear somatic cell score is associated with a reduction of 190 kg of milk per milking cow (Herd-Level Mastitis-Associated Costs on Canadian Dairy Farms – Section: Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Volume 5, 2018).
On a global scale, the amount of milk not produced or discarded due to mastitis is estimated in the billions of liters. Each cow affected by mastitis is estimated to lose 5% of her annual milk production. In Europe, for example, annual losses due to mastitis are estimated at approximately 1.6 billion liters of milk.
As a consequence, more animals are required to produce the same volume of milk for human consumption, which contributes to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
Management and Prevention
Effective management of mastitis involves a combination of treatment and preventive measures:
- Hygiene practices: Maintaining clean and dry bedding, proper milking procedures, and regular cleaning of milking equipment can reduce the risk of infection.
- Milking procedures: Clean, dry teats with single use towels, good milk let-down and rapid milk out, maintain a clean and comfortable environment, use gloves for milking, post-milking teat disinfection.
- Dry cow therapy: Dry cow antibiotics into each treat to eliminate existing infections or as a preventative measure for high-risk farms. Use in conjunction with teat sealant as a physical barrier in the teat to prevent infection during the dry period.
- Regular monitoring: Regularly checking somatic cell counts and conducting bacterial cultures can help in early detection and management of subclinical mastitis.
- Treatment: Prompt treatment with appropriate antibiotics can help manage infections. However, care must be taken to avoid antibiotic resistance. In some cases of non-severe mastitis, treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs alone is an effective alternative to antibiotics.
