Study of clinical mastitis in British dairy herds with bulk milk somatic cell counts less than 150,000 cells/ml

A 12-month prospective study of clinical mastitis was conducted in 482 British dairy herds with a bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) of less than 150,000 cells/ml. The mean proportion of cows in the herd with clinical mastitis was 23.1 per cent (range 0 to 80), with a mean of 1.50 quarter cases per cow. The mean incidence rate of clinical mastitis was 36.7 quarter cases per 100 cow years (range 0 to 208.2). Twelve per cent of the quarter cases showed systemic signs, including inappetence and severe lethargy. Over 22 per cent of quarter cases occurred in the first seven days of lactation and over 50 per cent occurred in the first 90 days of lactation. Cluster analysis indicated that the main difference between herds with a low and average incidence of mastitis was the proportion of clinical cases occurring in the first seven days of lactation, 14 per cent compared with 44 per cent, respectively. The risk of severe clinical mastitis compared with mild clinical mastitis decreased significantly as the individual cow somatic cell count (SCC) in the month before clinical mastitis was diagnosed increased.     

Intramammary infections and risk factors for clinical mastitis in herds with low somatic cell counts in bulk milk

Ten herds with low somatic cell counts in bulk milk had an incidence of clinical mastitis of only 2.2 per 100 cows whereas 10 other herds with similarly low cell counts had an incidence of 53.6 per 100 cows. The major pathogens in the herds with a high incidence were Escherichia coli, Streptococcus uberis, Staphylococcus aureus and the coagulase-negative staphylococci. The percentage of uninfected quarters in the herds with a high incidence of clinical mastitis was 21.4 per cent compared with 12.2 per cent in the herds with a low incidence of clinical mastitis. The prevalence of coagulase-negative staphylococci, Corynebacterium bovis and Micrococcus species was higher in the herds with a low incidence of clinical mastitis. There was a significant linear relationship between the percentage of uninfected quarters and the incidence of clinical mastitis in the herds with a high incidence of clinical mastitis. In herds with a low incidence of clinical mastitis significantly less teat disinfection after milking was practised. The results suggest that infections with minor pathogens tend to protect cows against mastitis, and that teat disinfection after milking may increase the percentage of uninfected quarters and lead to an increased risk of clinical mastitis in herds with low somatic cell counts in bulk milk.     

Incidence of clinical mastitis on farms with low somatic cell counts in bulk milk

A total of 1140 clinical cases of mastitis, with at least one inflamed quarter, were reported on 125 farms with somatic cell counts in bulk milk less than 150,000/ml. The average annual incidence was 17.9 cases per 100 cows and ranged from none to 80 cases per 100 cows. The microorganisms most frequently isolated were Escherichia coli (16.2 per cent), coagulase negative staphylococci (13.0 per cent), Staphylococcus aureus (9.6 per cent) and Streptococcus uberis (8.0 per cent). Only two cases of Streptococcus agalactiae were found. As the incidence of clinical mastitis increased, the proportion of S aureus also increased, while the proportions of E coli, S uberis and Streptococcus dysgalactiae remained about the same. Most of the clinical cases of mastitis occurred in early lactation, in November, December and January. However, after correction for the number of calvings per month, the incidence of mastitis was highest in the early summer months.     

Incidence and types of clinical mastitis in dairy herds with high and low somatic cell counts

Eighteen dairy herds were studied, 12 with a 12-month Dairy Herd Improvement Association herd mean somatic cell count (SCC) less than or equal to 150,000 cells/ml (low SCC) and 6 with a 12-month mean SCC greater than 700,000 cells/ml (high SCC). At the outset of the study, quarter samples for bacteriologic culture were collected (in duplicate) from all quarters of all lactating cows (whole herd culture). Subsequently, quarter milk samples for culture from all cows with clinical mastitis were collected for a period of 6 months. In the herds with low SCC, results of whole herd culture revealed low prevalence of intramammary infection attributable to all major pathogens (less than 4% of all quarters). Prevalence of infection with Streptococcus agalactiae (22.2% of all quarters) and Staphylococcus aureus (6.6% of all quarters) was significantly (P less than 0.05) higher in the herds with high SCC. Mean incidence of clinical mastitis in the herds with low SCC was 4.23 infections/100 cows/month (range, 0.42 to 10.25 infections). In the herds with high SCC, mean incidence was 2.91 infections/100 cows/month (range, 1.33 to 3.92 infections). In the herds with low SCC, infection type, as mean percentage of total clinically infected quarters sampled for culture/herd, was 0.0%, 2.2%, 12.3%, 43.5%, and 28.6% for Str agalactiae, S aureus, streptococci other than Str agalactiae, coliforms, and organisms not isolated, respectively. Respective percentages for the herds with high SCC were 41.5%, 18.3%, 12.6%, 8.0%, and 8.8%. During the study period (from April through January), incidence of clinical mastitis and clinical mastitis caused by coliform bacteria were highest in July and August for herds with low SCC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Environmental and managerial determinants of somatic cell counts and clinical mastitis incidence in Ohio dairy herds

A stratified-random sample of 48 Ohio dairy herds participated in a 1-year disease monitoring survey to study herd management and environmental conditions affecting udder infection and clinical mastitis incidence. The mean monthly bulk-tank somatic cell count was used as an indicator of overall udder infection. Clinical incidence was determined by monthly on-farm interviews with the dairy producers. Management and environmental conditions were assessed by direct observation as well as by personal interview of dairy managers. The final multivariable analysis-of-variance model of log bulk-tank somatic cell count had an R² value of 0.43. Lower log bulk-tank somatic cell count was found in herds with hired milkers, a clean and dry cow exercise area, clean teats following milking and fewer milking cows. The number of months spent on pasture was also significant. The final model for clinical mastitis incidence had an R² value of 0.38. Less clinical mastitis was found on farms where straw bedding was used, pre-dip was not used, where there were fewer cows, fewer person-hours per cow were spent milking cows, a greater percentage of calvings occurred in the designated calving facility, and cows spent fewer months per year on pasture. Other potentially important disease determinants could not be included in the final models because of limited sample size relative to the model degrees of freedom (six each).     

Seasonal variation of bulk milk somatic cell counts in UK dairy herds: investigations of the summer rise

Individual cow somatic cell count (SCC) patterns were explored over a one year period in 33 dairy herds to investigate the reason for a summer rise in bulk milk somatic cell counts (BMSCC). Cow test day somatic cell counts were categorised according to the magnitude of change since the previous test day reading, to examine which categories were responsible for the summer increase. Multilevel models using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods were specified to estimate the number of somatic cells/ml produced by different cell count categories. Stage of lactation and parity were accounted for in the models. There was an increase in the proportion of cows that remained above 200,000 cells/ml for two consecutive recordings in summer and this group of cows were responsible for 70.8% of the increase in somatic cells/ml produced from May to September compared with October to March. There was no evidence that a greater new infection rate (somatic cell counts moving from below 100,000 cells/ml to over 200,000 cells/ml) contributed to the increased summer bulk milk somatic cell counts. There was no indication that a general small increase in all somatic cell counts played an important role in the increased summer somatic cell counts. Markov chain Monte Carlo methods provided a valuable and flexible platform for parameter estimation in reasonably complex multilevel models.     

Herd management and prevalence of mastitis in dairy herds with high and low somatic cell counts

Thirty-two dairy herds, 16 with low somatic cell counts (LSCC; Dairy Herd Improvement Association 12-month mean herd SCC less than or equal to 150,000 cells/ml) and 16 with high somatic cell counts (HSCC; Dairy Herd Improvement Association 12-month mean herd SCC greater than or equal to 700,000 cells/ml) were evaluated to determine the relationship between the prevalence of mastitis in each herd and each herd's mastitis control and management practices. Once for each herd, duplicate quarter milk samples were collected from the lactating cows, a survey of herd mastitis control, milking hygiene, and management practices of each herd was performed, and milking-machine function was evaluated. Of the 16 herds with LSCC, 2 (12.5%) had Streptococcus agalactiae isolated and 7 (44%) had Staphylococcus aureus isolated. Both organisms were found in all of the herds with HSCC. In herds with LSCC, the mean percentage of quarters infected with Str agalactiae was 0.1%, the mean percentage infected with streptococci other than Str agalactiae was 1.9%, and the mean infected with S aureus was 0.7%. In herds with HSCC, 25.7% of the quarters were infected with Str agalactiae, 3.7% were infected with streptococci other than Str agalactiae, and 7.6% were infected with S aureus. A program of postmilking teat dipping and treatment of all cows at the beginning of the nonlactating period was practiced more frequently in the herds with LSCC (81.3%) than in the herds with HSCC (37.5%). Major differences were not found between the 2 groups of herds in the use of the more common milking hygiene techniques or in the maintenance and functional characteristics of the milking equipment.     

The association between quarter somatic-cell counts and clinical mastitis in three British dairy herds

The association between quarter somatic-cell counts (QSCCs) of milk and the risk of clinical mastitis (CM) was investigated in a 1-year study on three dairy herds in Somerset, UK. The three herds had 95-130 milking cows and an annual mean bulk milk somatic-cell count (BMSCC) of <150 x 10(3)cells/ml. The farms were visited every 4-6 weeks at morning milking when quarter-milk samples were collected. The farmers recorded all cases of CM and were trained to collect sterile milk samples from affected quarters, before treatment for bacteriology.The three herds had CM incidence rates of 25.4, 55.2, and 67.6 quarter-cases per 100 cow-years. Escherichia coli and Streptococcus uberis were cultured from approximately 50% of cases. QSCC was categorised and the risk of CM occurring in the month after the QSCC was examined using multilevel models to account for the correlated nature of the dependent data. Three models were developed: one for all cases of CM, one for those caused by coliforms and one for those caused by S. uberis. When all cases of CM were considered, quarters with somatic-cell count (SCC) 21-100 x 10(3)cells/ml had reduced odds (OR=0.60, P=0.06) and quarters with SCC >200 x 10(3)cells/ml has over three time the odds (OR=3.7, P<0.01) of CM compared with QSCC 1-20 x 10(3)cells/ml. When only coliform CM were investigated, quarters with SCC 6-200 x 10(3)cells/ml had reduced odds of coliform CM (OR=0.47, P=0.04) compared with QSCC 1-5 x 10(3)cells/ml, and SCC >200 x 10(3)cells/ml were not significantly different from the baseline. Finally, when S. uberis CM were investigated, quarters with SCC >200 x 10(3)cells/ml had more than three times the odds of S. uberis CM compared with QSCC 1-20 x 10(3)cells/ml (OR=3.73, P<0.01). QSCC <21 x 10(3) and >200 x 10(3)cells/ml are associated with increased odds of CM in the following 4-6 weeks; this association may be pathogen specific.     

High incidence of clinical mastitis due to Staphylococcus aureus in two dairy herds with low milk cell counts.

Five dairy herds with a high incidence of clinical mastitis were investigated. Two of these herds had a high incidence of mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus yet had a relatively low rolling mean cell count. The mean cell counts of samples from clinical cases submitted by the dairymen from these two farms were significantly lower than the counts of similar samples submitted from the other farms. It is suggested that a possible explanation of the low cell count on these two farms was the proficiency of the dairy-men in detecting clinical mastitis.     

Somatic cell counts, mastitis and milk production in selected Ontario dairy herds.

Somatic cell counts were performed monthly on bulk tank milk samples for all producers in the Ontario counties of Hastings, Lennox/Addington and Prince Edward throughout 1978 and 1979. Other data were obtained via a structured questionnaire and from the records of the Ontario Milk Marketing Board. Many producers have not adopted practices that have been advocated for the integrated control of mastitis. For example, 43.3% of producers surveyed used single service paper towels, 63.3% regularly used teat dip and 56.5% dry cow therapy. The mean of the average monthly somatic cell count for all producers for 1978 was 621.1 x 10(3) cells/mL. This latter value was used to divide the producers into case (higher than average) and control (lower than average) groups. Control herds averaged 95.9 liters more shipped milk per cow per month than case herds. Milk from control herds averaged 0.22 percentage points higher than case herds for each of average fat and lactose, and 0.16 percentage points higher for protein. The linear regression of monthly shipped milk on the respective monthly bulk tank somatic cell count indicated a loss of 13.26 L/cow/month for each 100,000 increase in somatic cell count.     

Risk of clinical mastitis in dairy herds with a high proportion of low individual milk somatic-cell counts

The relationships between the herd-somatic-cell count (SCC) pattern on a test day and the incidence of clinical mastitis in the subsequent period were studied by collecting health data and monthly records from 2 years (1995-1997) from 121 farms located in the west of France. A total of 980 herd-periods (from one test day to the following one) were analyzed. The outcome variable was the incidence density of clinical mastitis (ICM) within the herd-period. The herd-SCC pattern on a test day was described by cross-combining the proportions of cows with low SCC (<50,000 cells/ml) or with high SCC (>250,000 cells/ml). The relationship between herd-SCC pattern and subsequent ICM was assessed using a generalized linear mixed model. A sensitivity analysis evaluated the effect of different proportions of cows with low SCC on significance and magnitude of the relationship. Risk of clinical mastitis was expressed as a risk ratio (RR) in comparison to a moderate herd-SCC level (with low proportions of cows with low or high SCC).Median ICM was 0.38 cases per 365 cow-days at risk (first and third quartiles: 0 and 0.88). In the situations where few cows (<15%) had SCC>250,000 cells/ml, ICM was higher (RR>1.31) when the proportion of cows with low SCC exceeded 50% than in the reference situation. Risk ratios increased as the proportion of cows with low SCC increased from 40 to 60%. In the situations where the proportion of cows with SCC>250,000 cells/ml exceeded 15%, ICM was higher compared to the reference situation (whatever the proportion of low SCC). Risk ratios were also higher when the proportion of cows with low SCC were >40-60%, compared to the pattern with the proportion of cows with low SCC below 40%. Herd situations with a high proportion of cows with low SCC appeared to be at increased risk of clinical mastitis.     

Farm management factors associated with bulk tank somatic cell count in Irish dairy herds

The relationship between bulk tank somatic cell count (SCC) and farm management and infrastructure was examined using data from 398 randomly selected, yet representative, Irish dairy farms where the basal diet is grazed grass. Median bulk tank SCC for the farms was 282,887 cells/ml ranging from 82,209 to 773,028 cells/ml. Two questionnaires were administered through face-to-face contact with each farmer. Herd-level factors associated with bulk tank SCC were determined using linear models with annual somatic cell score (i.e., arithmetic mean of the natural logarithm of bulk tank SCC) included as the dependent variable. All herd level factors were analysed individually in separate regression models, which included an adjustment for geographical location of the farm; a multiple regression model was subsequently developed. Management practices associated with low SCC included the use of dry cow therapy, participation in a milk recording scheme and the use of teat disinfection post-milking. There was an association between low SCC and an increased level of hygiene and frequency of cleaning of the holding yard, passageways and cubicles. Herd management factors associated with bulk tank SCC in Irish grazing herds are generally in agreement with most previous studies from confinement systems of milk production.     

Risk factors associated with BMSCC greater than 200 000 cells/ml in dairy herds in southern Chile

A cross-sectional survey of 523 dairy farms in the south of Chile was carried out to quantify risk factors associated with bulk-milk somatic-cell count (BMSCC) >200 x 10(3)cells/ml.Questionnaires followed by one reminder were sent to 3710 dairy farms via the 11 milk-processing plants that they supplied in October 1998. The response proportion was 14.1%. The median BMSCC was 289 x 10(3) cells/ml (range: 74 x 10(3) to 1800 x 10(3)cells/ml). The median herd size was 70 cows (range: 7-616); herd size was not associated with BMSCC. The annual milk yield of 33.2% of the herds was <4000 l and 53.4% had an annual milk yield of 4 x 10(3) to 6 x 10(3) l. Clinical-mastitis records were kept by 55.3% of the farmers. Seventy-six percent of the farmers (377/499) reported <10 clinical cases of mastitis in the year prior to the questionnaire.Logistic multiple regression indicated that BMSCC >200 x 10(3)cells/ml was more likely when foremilking was practised, and when cows were collected in a yard before milking. BMSCC was less likely to be >200 x 10(3)cells/ml when teats were washed with water containing disinfectant compared with plain water; when the udder and teats were always checked before milking compared with, sometimes or never; when cows with mastitis were milked first compared with any other ordering, and when farmers recorded individual-cow somatic-cell count (ICSCC) compared with when ICSCC was not recorded.     

Risk factors for bulk milk somatic cell counts and total bacterial counts in smallholder dairy farms in the 10th region of Chile

We investigated the principal management factors that influenced bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) and total bacterial count (TBC) of smallholder dairy farms in the 10th region of Chile. One hundred and fifty smallholder milk producers were selected randomly from 42 milk collection centres (MCCs). In April and May of 2002, all farms were visited and a detailed interview questionnaire on dairy-cow management related to milk quality was conducted. In addition, the BMSCC and TBC results from the previous 2 months' fortnightly tests were obtained from the MCCs. The mean BMSCC and TBC were used as the dependent variables in the analyses and were normalised by a natural-logarithm transformation (LN). All independent management variables were categorised into binary outcomes and present (=1) was compared with absent (=0). Biserial correlations were calculated between the LNBMSCC or LNTBC and the management factors of the smallholder farms. Management factors with correlations with P0.05) factors. A random MCC effect was included in the models to investigate the importance of clustering of herds within MCC. In the null model for mean LNTBC, the random effect of MCCs was highly significant. It was explained by: milk collected once a day or less compared with collection twice a day, not cleaning the bucket after milking mastitic cows versus cleaning the bucket and cooling milk in a vat of water versus not cooling milk or using ice or a bulk tank to cool milk. Other factors that increased the LNTBC were a waiting yard with a soil or gravel floor versus concrete, use of plastic buckets for milking instead of metal, not feeding California mastitis test (CMT)-positive milk to calves and cows of dual-purpose breed. The final model explained 35% of the variance. The model predicted that a herd that complied with all the management practices had a mean predicted TBC of 105 colony forming units (cfu)/ml, whereas a herd that did not comply with any of these management factors had a predicted TBC of 59 x 10(9)cfu/ml. The model of mean LNBMSCC explained 18% of the variance; the random effect of MCC was not significant. Management factors that decreased the mean LNBMSCC were: using the CMT for 1 year versus using the test for more than 1 year or not at all, absence of a concrete waiting yard, not filtering the milk or using filters other than a plastic sieve to filter the milk, milking cows with mastitis last, and sometimes or always examining the udder before milking. A herd that complied with all of these management factors had a BMSCC of approximately 46,166 cells/ml, whereas a herd that did not comply with any of the management practices above had a mean BMSCC of 2 x 10(6)cells/ml.     

Incidence of clinical mastitis in a cohort of British dairy herds

A three-year survey to determine the incidence of clinical mastitis and the associated bacteria in dairy herds in England and Wales is described. Escherichia coli was the predominant organism in each year. Streptococcus uberis and Staphylococcus aureus were important for part for each year. The annual incidence of mastitis declined from 54.6 cases per 100 cows in 1980 to 41.2 in 1982. The incidence increased with age and declined with increasing herd size. The culling rate due solely to mastitis was 3 per cent. Strep uberis was the pathogen most frequently isolated from clinical cases which occurred in the dry period. Thirty per cent of all cases recurred at least once and staphylococcal cases exhibited the highest frequency of recurrence.     

Dietary factors associated with milk somatic cell counts in dairy cows in Brittany, France

A survey (Enquête Ecopathologique Bretagne) was conducted in France for 4 years (1986–1990) in 48 commercial dairy herds (25–80 cows per herd) located in Brittany. Three groups of herd-years were made up to study peripartum dietary factors associated with milk somatic cell counts in the early lactation period (ECC). The first group included 20 herd-years with high ECC (over 400 000 cells ml⁻¹). The second group included herdyears with medium ECC (n = 20, median ECC 222 000) and the last group herd-years with low ECC (n = 20, median ECC 95 000). Herd data (components of the diet, milk yield and reproduction parameters, clinical diseases, biochemical and hematological indicators, body and dirtiness scores) were analyzed using discrimination by barycentric analysis. Two separate analysis were conducted according to study period (LG period, last 60 days of gestation; EL period, first 60 days of lactation).

The high ECC group had the following characteristics: (1) higher plasma gamma glutamyl transferase levels in the LG period; (2) higher quantities of cereal-based concentrates in the diet in the EL period; (3) shorter durations of feeding with Italian rye grass silage in the EL period. The relevance of the risk factors for high ECC are discussed with reference to dietary linolenic acid/linoleic acid ratio (through the synthesis of leukotrienes as chemotactic agents for the polymorphonuclear leukocytes), dietary energy supplies and liver fluke infestation in the herds. We speculate that nutritional factors could modulate the leukocyte activity in the milk and that supplementations with certain polyunsaturated fatty acids would be able to prevent the development of inflammation in the udder.     

Costs associated with selected preventive practices and with episodes of clinical mastitis in nine herds with low somatic cell counts

Nine dairy herds (mean size, 149 cows) with bulk-tank milk somatic cell counts of less than 300,000 cells/ml and greater than 80% of cows with Dairy Herd Improvement Association linear somatic cell counts less than or equal to 4 were selected for study. Each herd was monitored for 12 consecutive months. Duplicate quarter-milk specimens were collected from each cow for bacteriologic culturing at beginning of lactation, cessation of lactation, and at the time of each clinical episode of mastitis. Streptococcus agalactiae was never isolated and Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from less than 1% of all quarters. There were 554 episodes of clinical mastitis. During the year of study, the incidence rate of clinical mastitis varied from 15.6 to 63.7% of cows among the 9 herds. Mean costs per cow per year in herd for mastitis prevention were: $10 for paper towels, $3 for nonlactating cow treatment, and $10 for teat disinfectants. Mean cost associated with clinical mastitis was $107/episode. Approximately 84% ($90) of the costs attributed to a clinical episode were associated with decreased milk production and nonsalable milk. Costs of medication and professional veterinary fees per clinical episode varied significantly among the 9 herds. Three of the herds did not have a veterinarian treat a clinical episode of mastitis during the year of study even though 2 of these herds had the first and third highest incidence rates of clinical mastitis. When calculated on a per cow in herd basis, mean costs of $40/cow/year were attributed to clinical mastitis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Potential of differential somatic cell counts as indicators of mastitis in quarter milk samples from dairy cows

Bacteriological status, somatic cell counts and proportions of lymphocytes, granulocytes and monocytes were determined in 1,659 quarter milk samples from 39 dairy cows. Discriminant analysis was performed in order to assess the ability of total and differential somatic cell counts and combinations of total somatic cell count and each of the differential cell counts, to discriminate between infected and pathogen-free quarters, as well as between quarters infected with minor pathogens and quarters infected with major pathogens. Total somatic cell count classified 82.9% of all quarters correctly with respect to bacteriological status. Differential somatic cell count was less effective than total somatic cell count in discriminating between infected and pathogen-free quarters, as well as between quarters infected with minor vs. major pathogens. Combination of total and differential somatic cell counts did not improve the rate of correctly classified quarters. Inclusion of demographic data into the discriminant function increased the number of quarters correctly classified, mainly through an increase in the proportion of correctly classified infected quarters.     

Dynamics and regulation of bulk milk somatic cell counts.

Somatic cell count (SCC) in milk is inversely related to dairy cow productivity and milk quality. In an effort to improve product quality, and indirectly farm productivity, regulatory limits on somatic cell counts have been established by many of the major dairy producing countries. The purpose of this paper was to assess the impact of regulations on bulk milk somatic cell counts in Ontario and to assist producers in meeting regulatory limits through development of prediction models. Through the use of a transfer function model, provincial SCC was found to have dropped by approximately 60,000 as a result of the reduction program. Limits of the regulatory program, seasonality and herd characteristics were found through time series cross-sectional models to have an impact on prediction of SCC at the farm level, but the major influence was historical SCC levels.     

An investigation of risk factors for nocardial mastitis in central Alberta dairy herds

A case-control study was undertaken during the summer of 1989 in central Alberta dairy herds to identify independent predictors of nocardial mastitis. Thirty-seven herds with nocardial mastitis were matched with control herds based on herd size, milk production, and enrolment in Alberta Dairy Herd Improvement Services. Control herds were considered free of nocardial mastitis based on negative cultures of four weekly bulk tank milk samples and one composite milk sample collected during the same period from each lactating cow in the herd. A detailed questionnaire on herd management was completed during farm visits. The use of blanket dry cow therapy was not found to be a risk factor for nocardial mastitis. Dry cow therapy with intramammary products containing neomycin and the use of multidose vials of dry cow medications were the only predisposing factors identified as being significantly associated with nocardial mastitis in central Alberta dairy herds. Use of neomycin as a dry cow therapy increased the odds of nocardial mastitis occurring in these dairy herds by 169 times.