Mastitis
Prevention and Treatment
Jeff Bleck, DVM
Kettle Moraine Large Animal Clinic
Plymouth, WI
Mastitis Happens!

Focus on:
A. Prevention
1. Vaccinations
2. Environment
3. Milking process
B. Treatment
1. Culturing Programs
2. Appropriate Therapy
Mastitis is often the end result of
the interaction of several
factors.
MASTITIS
MICROORGANISMS
Mastitis Vaccines

Effective Immunization is Difficult
– Volume of milk dilutes the # of immune cells
– Fat and casein reduce bactericidal abilities of
immune cells
– Cows are exposed to numerous bacteria
– Milk is an excellent substrate for growth
Vaccine Types

Staphylococcus aureus
– Somato-Staph
– Lysigen

E. Coli
– J-5 Bacterin
– J-Vac
– Endo-Vac Bovi
Use gram-negative core antigens to produce
non-specific immunity directed against
endotoxic disease
Compliance?
60-80%
30-40%
80
% Protection
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1
2
J5 Shot #
3
E. Coli Vaccination Programs

Farm Specific-Based on Bacterial challenge
– Three shot program
– Quarterly
– Seasonally
– Monthly
– Hyper-immunization
SRP Vaccine Technology
All that stands
between the
udder and
infection…
Anatomy of Teat Defense
Cow Environment
CLEAN
“ Hygiene is a dominant factor in mastitis
control, influenced primarily by cow
comfort, ventilation and bedding”
Fetrow et al (2002)
Minimize bacterial load /maximize immunity
Dry
Clean
Comfortable
Correlation Between Bedding
Contamination and the Bacteria in Milk
Bedding
cfu/gm
Milk
cfu/ml
Pen # 1
817,000,000
960
Pen # 2
498,000,000
405
Pen # 3
270,000,000
215
Farnsworth & Reneau Unpub, 1989
"Creating Your Playbook for Success" - A course for Parlor Managers.
Bacteria Counts on Individual
Sand Samples (cfu/cc)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dairy
Surface
Subsurface
Bottom
A
2,897,500 10,235,000 5,647,000
B
1,750,000 21,600,000 46,349,000
C
45,325
D
5,625,500 18,900,000 38,505,000
80,475
23,925
Bedding Frequency
Critical to decreasing bacteria
numbers in stalls
Bedding sand on schedule of 3 times in 2 weeks.
Grooming with cement hoe at each shift.
Goal

Keep total bacteria counts below 2-4 million

Keep coliform bacteria counts below 1 million (1,000,000
/cc).

Keep environmental streptococci below 1-2 million/cc.

Environmental hygiene is critical in preventing
environmental mastitis.

Keep Bedding materials as dry as possible.
What Are The Stalls Telling You??
More manure, more mastitis!
Conclusion
• Controlling exposure to environmental
pathogens between milkings is
important for udder hygiene.
• Bedding material must be properly
maintained to reduce exposure,
prevent udder infections and reduce
SCC.
• Bedding materials must be carefully
selected.
Now its time to move into the
parlor or milking barn.
>75% of Clinical
Mastitis occurs
during the
milking process
Clean!Clean!Clean!
Milkers must wear gloves!
And Keep them Clean!
Keep Milking Units Clean
Keep cow platforms
Clean
GLOVES
I tried them and didn’t see any
improvement!
What We Know

Positive relationship exists between
bacteria on teat ends and
intramammary infections (Newbold,
1970, NMC).

Rates of clinical mastitis are related
to bacterial counts in bedding
(Hogan, et. al, J. Dairy Sci 72:250, 1989).

Exposing teat ends to >1,000,000
coliform bacteria increases the
probability of intramammary
infection (Bramley and Neave Br. Vet. J. 131:160,
1975).
Udder Prep
Research clearly shows the
BEST you can do is
reduce bacteria numbers by
85% with a perfect
milking routine.
1,000,000 Bacteria At Start
150,000 After Cleaning
100,000 Bacteria At Start
15,000 After Cleaning
Milking procedures / machines
Flies
Weather
Other stressors
Maximize Teat End Health
>80% should score 1 or 2
Focus on Cleaning teat ends!

Bacteria
Normal Routine
No Teat Ends


ENVIRONMENTALS
Strep Species
2,450

Coliforms
22,500
Normal Routine
Clean Teat Ends
25
5
Best Ways to Reduce Bacteria on
Teats Compared to No Udder
Prep
Dry Towel Only
-4%
Wet Towel Only
-40%
Wet Towel + Udder Sanitizer
-40%
Wet Towel and Manual Dry
-77%
Wet Towel, Udder Sanitizer, and
Manual Dry
-80%
Predip and Manual Dry
-85%
Source: Cornell University
Adequate Drying
– Moisture is a growth
requirement for bacteria

Herds that dried teats
had SCC 44,000 cell/ml
lower than herds that
did not
– Moxley et al., 1978

Effect of Drying on
Most important step in
premilking hygiene
Wet towels can’t
adequately dry teats
Bacterical Counts of Milk
CFU per ML

5000
4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Bacterial
Staph spp.
Count
Count
Wet Towel, Sanitizer, NO DRYING
Wet Towel, Sanitizer, DRYING
Galton et al., 1984
Teat End Cleanliness
Goal >85% 1’s and 2’s
Remember, what is on the teat
end when the milking unit is attached
goes in the tank.

Look at bulk tank records!
– High environmental counts (coliforms or
non-ag streptococcus, and staphylococcus
species) are good indicators better cow
hygiene (pre-milking cow preparation)
and better bedding management is
needed.
Unit Cleanliness
Keep units off of the platform
 Drop hoses should contain sanitizer with
proper concentration
 Wash units between groups or as needed
– Keep liner heads clean and vent holes
open
– Drying liner heads when wet or dirty


Keep platforms clean
Unit Alignment
Much more important than people think!
 Unit must be square on udder with
forward pull to get even milk outs and
minimize slips
 Don’t forget about teat alignment

– Make sure teat is properly seeded in the
liner and not twisted

Kink short milk tube to limit air
admission
Poor Tie Stall
Alignment
Teat Dipping
Primary Reason to Teat Dip
is to Remove the Milk Film
Left on the Teat After
Milking With a Layer of
Germicide
Teat Dip Coverage
Pre and Post Dip or Foam coverage should
be at least 75%
Culturing Programs
Need appropriate sample collection and
storage
 Must have a plan to utilize information

– Individual cow cultures-fresh, clinicals, high
scc cows (two different plans)
– Bulk tank cultures
– Bedding cultures

If you don’t have a “game plan” don’t
waste your money!
Bulk Tank Cultures

-
-
Utilize your bulk tank cultures
because they are a source of
information on how good your cow’s
teats are being
cleaned.
Bulk tank cultures definitely show
inconsistency!
Management Tip:
- Monitor milker performance trends using
BTC by shift.
Clinical Mastitis
Grading System

Grade 1
– mild (milk only - clots & flakes)

Grade 2
– moderate (milk & udder swelling)

Grade 3
– severe (milk, udder swelling & cowsystemically sick)
Antibacterial Therapy

Response to Treatment Influenced by:
– Cows immune response
– Severity of mastitis
– Duration of infection
– Causative pathogen
– Drug used
The targeted compartment should
be considered when choosing
antibiotic treatment
Milk- environmental Streps. And Staphs.
Blood- E.coli, Klebsiella
Mammary tissue- Staph. Aureus, some
Streps, E.coi
All IMM Drugs are Time Dependent

Must give at periodic regular intervals (8,
12, 24 hours)

Extending the duration of therapy better
than a higher dose
Failure of Therapy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Stopping therapy to soon
Swollen udder parenchyma/blocked milk
ducts
Scar tissue/micro-abcesses
Inactivation by milk and tissue proteins
Microbial resistance
Treatment Protocols

Grade 1
1) IMM tube for 3 days

Grade 2
1) IMM tube for 5 day
2) Anti-inflammatory drug

Grade 3
1) IMM tube for 7 days
2) Anti-inflammatory drug
3) Supportive fluid therapy
4) Systemic Antibiotic
Blanket protocols don’t always
work!
Example: Cow#100-mastitis LR, Grade 1
DIM=180, PG-90days, Milk=65lbs.
xmast=4, SCC=3 million, cultureenvironmental strep.
What treatment option would you choose?
Treatment Decisions
1. Treat as per protocol
2. Culture and use extended therapy treatment
3. Move to hospital until no sign of clinical
mastitis.(No Treat)
4. Dry up quarter
5. Quarter milk
6. Dry off cow early(double dry treat, etc)
7. Cull cow
8. Remove teat
Clean Cows=Less Mastitis=More Milk