Management of the dry cow in control of peripartum disease and mastitis.

The dry period has great implications on overall health and productivity in the subsequent lactation. Many anatomic, physiologic, and immunolgic changes are occurring for both the cow and the mammary gland during this time. These changes need to be understood and taken into consideration when assessing and implementing health management programs that involve this crucial time period. Specifically, nutritional and immunologic requirements of the individual cow need to be considered. The occurrence of many peripartum diseases is significantly influenced through nutritional and metabolic parameters that can be strongly influenced, controlled, and monitored in the dry period. From an udder-health perspective, the goal of the dry period can be met by recommending administration of DCT to all quarters of all cows at the end of lactation. As research continues to explore and define shortcomings of this approach and as scrutiny of the prophylactic use of antibiotics increases, however, novel approaches to preventing and eliminating IMI may become more readily available. These approaches offer new methods to improve upon and redefine what should be realistic goals of the dry period and afford an opportunity for continued improvement of udder health in today's dairy herds.     

A comparative field trial of cephalonium and cloxacillin for dry cow therapy for mastitis in Australian dairy cows

OBJECTIVE: To investigate and compare the therapeutic efficacy of dry cow agents containing either cephalonium or cloxacillin within Australian dairy herds. DESIGN: A treatment-control trial. METHODS: Milk from infected quarters of cows with high somatic cell counts in milk on eight Australian dairy farms was cultured to identify bacterial pathogens. Cows were randomly assigned to treatment groups and one group was treated with cephalonium at drying off and the other group was treated with cloxacillin at drying off. Milk samples from infected quarters were collected immediately after calving and were cultured for pathogens. The effect of treatment on bacteriological cure was examined and somatic cell counts from infected cows from the first two herd tests after calving were examined for a treatment effect. On four farms, milk samples were collected for culture from all cases of clinical mastitis identified within the first 7 days after calving. The effect of treatment upon incidence of clinical mastitis after calving was examined. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between treatments on quarter cure rates for new infections, for chronic infections and for infections with Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus uberis. Infected quarters treated with cephalonium had a significantly higher cure rate than quarters treated with cloxacillin when Corynebacterium bovis and Staphylococcus epidermids were included as pathogens combined (80.3% versus 70.7%). There was no significant difference between the treatments on somatic cell counts of infected cows at the first two herd tests after calving. There was no difference between treatments on the incidence of clinical mastitis in the first 7 days after calving.     

Methods of diagnosing subclinical mastitis in dairy cow mastitis control programs

The number of somatic cells and the isolation of the causative agents of mastitis in quarter, composite, bucket, and bulk tank samples of cow's milk was determined four times during a six-month period. The number of somatic cells in milk samples indicated a degree of mastitis infection and was influenced neither by the year season nor by the length of lactation. At a repeated examination of 28 dairy cows an increased number of somatic cells in milk was found once in 68 udder quarters and with three successive samplings only in 21 quarters. The etiological agents of mastitis were detected once in 31 quarters and three times in succession only in five quarters. The number of cows positive by the number of cells in quarter samples of milk increased from 52.9-58.8% at a single examination to as much as 100% at four examinations. The etiological agents of mastitis were isolated in a single examination in 17.6% of cows and at four examinations in 58.8% of cows. The composite and bucket samples of milk containing 200 to 300 thousand cells per ml are recommended to be considered as mastitis-positive: in 68 to 78% they came from cows having more than 500 thousand cells per ml at least in one quarter sample. The number of cells in a bulk sample was in correlation with the percentage of cows having a positive NK-test (similar to CMT) and positive isolation of S. agalactiae from quarter milk samples.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

克炎晶对奶牛乳房炎的治疗试验

使用克炎晶采用不同给药途径、不同剂量、不同疗程,对24例临床型乳房炎患牛和8例隐性乳房炎患牛进行了分组治疗试验。结果表明,每千克体重使用克炎晶0.5～1.0mg1～2次就能有效杀灭隐性乳房炎致病菌;对于临床型乳房炎,每千克体重0.5～1.0mg剂量总有效率为60%(9/15),而1.5mg总有效率为88.9%(8/9)。乳区基部注射总有效率为77.8%(7/9);乳池内注入总有效率为88.9%(8/9);肌肉注射总有效率为33.3%(2/6)。因此,临床治疗时应选择每千克体重1.5mg作为用药剂量,乳房基部注射和乳池内注入作为用药方法,疗程为3～5d。     

Crossed immunoelectrophoretic analysis of the antibody response in heifers and dry cows to Peptococcus indolicus in experimental and natural heifer mastitis and dry cow mastitis

Crossed immunoelectrophoresis with intermediate gel was used to investigate the antibody response of experimentally infected heifers and of naturally infected heifers and dry cows at grass with mastitis against soluble extracellular antigens of Peptococcus indolicus. Using both precipitin titres and precipitin scores (the sum of precipitin titres against individual antigens) rising titres of antibodies against antigend of P. indolicus were demonstrated in sera from experimentally infected pregnant and non-pregnant heifers. Statistically significant differences in precipitin scores against extracellular antigens were also shown between pregnant heifers with mastitis and healthy pregnant heifers and between dry cows with mastitis and health dry cows. The biochemical nature of the principal reactive antigens was not elucidated. These serological investigations lend strong support to the pathogenic role and significance of P. indolicus in mixed infections with Corynebacterium pyogenes in the aetiology of heifer and dry cow mastitis.     

奶牛乳房炎防制浅谈

奶牛乳房炎是奶牛乳腺发生的一种炎症，本质上是乳腺炎（Mastistis）。奶牛乳房炎十分常见，影响因素复杂，并且给奶牛业经济带来严重损失。乳房炎造成的经济损失有生产性能的下降、替代品费用的增加、奶的丢弃、药费的开支、兽医和劳动力的费用等，而生产性能的下降是引起巨大经济损失的主要原因。袁永隆等调查结果表明，临床型乳房炎发病率平均为33．41％，隐性乳房炎平均阳性率为73．91％，乳室患病率为44．74％。     

奶牛乳腺炎的防治与研究动态

奶牛乳腺炎是由病原体侵染奶牛的乳腺而引起的一种疾病,病原复杂多变,但临床感染主要以葡萄球菌、链球菌、大肠杆菌、支原体、放线菌等多见。奶牛乳腺炎是影响奶牛业发展的头号疾病,引起了众多国家科研工作者与政府的高度重视。本文就奶牛乳腺炎的发病机制、病原学、诊断方法、治疗手段及其综合防治等方面做一阐述。     

奶牛乳房炎的营养调控

本文对奶牛乳房炎的发病机理及通过日粮中添加维生素、微量元素和中草药等营养手段对其的调控进行综述.     

奶牛乳房炎的防治

奶牛乳房炎（Bouine Mastitis）又名奶牛乳腺炎,是乳腺腺泡或间质炎症的总称。特点是防治难、花费成本高。它严重地阻碍着奶牛业的发展,对全球经济造成巨大的损失。该病广泛存在于世界各地,是奶牛饲养中的一种常见病。奶牛发病后所造成的产奶量下降,大量的乳房炎阳性奶的废弃,以及兽医治疗,严重感染造成的奶牛过早的淘汰,给养殖业造成了很大的损失,     

奶牛乳房炎多联苗(B)的临床免疫试验

用奶牛乳房炎多联苗 (B)免疫家兔 ,14 d血清中金黄色葡萄球菌抗体效价可达 1∶ 8,2 8d抗体水平明显升高 ,可达 1∶ 32 ,注苗后 35 d攻毒 ,攻毒后 2 d保护率为 93.3% (14 /15 ) ,自然保护率为 2 0 % (1/5 ) ,10 d保护率为 6 6 .6 % (10 /15 ) ,自然保护率为 2 0 % (1/5 ) ;用多联苗 (B)臀部肌肉注射免疫泌乳牛 ,试验期间 4个月内 ,3ml剂量组临床型乳房炎月平均发病率为 11.0 9% ,其对照组为 2 0 .19% ,发病率降低 4 5 .2 9% ,差异极显著 (P<0 .0 1) ;5 m l剂量组月平均发病率为 13.0 1% ,其对照组为 31.36 % ,发病率降低 5 8.5 1% ,差异极显著 (P<0 .0 1) ;3ml剂量组与 5 m l剂量组之间发病率无明显差异 (P>0 .0 5 ) ;注苗后泌乳牛血清抗体水平可持续 4个月 ,且 30 d时效价水平最高。     

Risk factors associated with bacteriological cure, new infection, and incidence of clinical mastitis after dry cow therapy with three different antibiotics

Factors affecting bacteriological cure rates (BCR) and new intramammary infections (IMI) during the dry period as well as clinical mastitis (CM) during early lactation were investigated in 414 German Holstein dairy cows receiving dry cow therapy. Cows were treated with either benethamine benzylpenicillin (300,000 IU), penethamate hydriodide (100,000 IU), and framycetin sulphate (100 mg, n = 136), or cefquinome (150 mg, n = 135), or benzathine cloxacillin (1,280 mg, n = 143). Overall BCR, IMI, and CM at parturition were 86.4%, 20.7%, and 4.3%, respectively. The three antibiotic treatments differed only in BCR, with cloxacillin yielding better results than the others. Udder quarters from cows with > 4 lactations had a higher risk of IMI and CM at calving. Chronic changes in udder tissues were linked to a lower BCR and were associated with a higher risk of CM during early lactation. The risk of CM at calving was higher in udder quarters with unspecific or subclinical mastitis before drying off. In conclusion, with antibiotic dry cow therapy, age and health status of the udder appear to be major determinants of IMI and CM during the dry period and early lactation, while BCR was associated with the antibiotic type and udder tissue status.     

Mastitis prevalence and the selection of dry cow therapy programmes in dairy herds

Sales of intramammary cerates to a group of 142 dairy farms over a period of two years were monitored. On the assumption that three tubes of cerate are used to treat one case of mastitis, an estimate was made of the prevalence of clinical mastitis in these herds. The prevalence in seasonal supply herds was 21 cases per 100 cows per year and the prevalence in town supply herds was 66 cases per 100 cows per year. The usage of dry cow therapy was related to changes in the prevalence of clinical mastitis in these herds. The use of whole-herd therapy reduced the prevalence of clinical mastitis in herds which had a high prevalence in the first year, but in herds with a low prevalence of clinical mastitis the prevalence increased after the use of dry cow therapy.