MASTITIS
DR. M. IJAZ SALEEM
Dept. of CMS
Introduction
• Mastitis is an inflammation of the teats
and udder (e.g. mammary glands and
tissues).
• It is mainly caused by bacterial agents
and characterized clinically by changes in
quantity and quality of milk, which make
it unsuitable for human consumption.
Introduction
• Mastitis is the most important disease of
economic significance in dairy industry of the
world.
• The economic losses occur due to;
 Reduction in total milk due to illness
 Milk discarding (thrown away) due to unfit to drink.
Costs of treatment and control measures.
 Extra costs of quarantine and biosecurity measures.
 The losses due to permanent damage to udder /
premature culling of animal.
Etiology
• The mastitis in dairy animals can be caused by a variety
of bacteria (pathogens).
• It also be due to chemical, physical & thermal injuries.
• The mastitis can be Contagious or Environmental
type. The most important pathogens for;
I. Contagious mastitis; Staphylococcus aureus,
Streptococcus agalactiae,
Mycoplasma bovis,
II. Environmental mastitis; Escherichia coli,
Streptococcus uberis
Transmission
• The bacteria enter the udder mainly through teat
canal. But they can reach to udder through blood
as well.
• Faulty milking practices, milk machine and
contaminated hands are main source of
transmission of Contagious mastitis pathogens.
• The contaminated farm environment plays
important role in transmission of Environmental
mastitis pathogens.
Transmission of mastitis organisms
How mastitis occur
• The bacteria enter the mammary tissues,
multiply and produce toxins.
• The toxins cause inflammation and damage to
milk-secreting tissues of the udder.
• As a result, there will be quantitative and
qualitative changes in milk.
• Due to inflammation in udder, there is increase of
white blood cells and damages mammary cells in
the milk, causing increase in Somatic Cell Count.
Types of mastitis
• The mastitis can be clinical or sub-clinical.
Clinical Mastitis; when inflammation of teats/udder
and quantitative and qualitative changes in milk can
be seen. It could be ;
Per-acute; when there is severe inflammation of
udder, along with signs of fever, anorexia and
pain at palpation of udder. The milk may
absence or much reduced. The milk will contain
flakes, becomes thick curd like, or watery. Death
may also occur with septic shock.
Per-acute and Acute mastitis
Types of mastitis
 Acute; when mastitis is less severe than peracute.
Mild fever and anorexia with quantitative and
qualitative changes in milk will be present.
 Sub-acute; when signs of inflammation are
reduced with little quantitative and qualitative
changes in milk. There will be no sign of fever or
pain.
 Chronic; it is long-term persistence of mastitis
along with irreversible damage to the affected
teat/udder. Therefore, the affected animals are
finally culled.
Acute mastitis
Acute mastitis can be visible at distance
Mastitis can cause permanent teat damage
Types of mastitis
Subclinical mastitis; in this the
udder and milk appears normal
except decrease in milk quantity.
There will be increase in Somatic Cell
Count, which can be identified by
lab. Tests, (California Mastitis Test (or
Surf field mastitis test).
Changes in milk composition
Quantitative changes: Decrease in total milk.
Qualitative changes:
 The milk may contain flakes or clots in milk or
becomes thick (curd to pus like) or becomes watery
in consistency.
 The color may become yellowish to yellow, or
reddish (due to blood).
 Also, changes in milk composition (i.e. decrease in
fat, casein, calcium, vitamins, etc.).
Visible changes in color and consistency of mastitic milk
Presence of flake in milk in indicative of mastitis
Thick exudate may be seen in per-acute mastitis
Sub acute mastitis
Irreversible changes in udder is seen in
chronic mastitis
Flakes in milk can be checked by stripping milk in a cup with ceive
Surf field mastitis test
• It is cheap, readily available and alternative
milk test to California mastitis test.
• About 3% of Surf solution is made by mixing 3
spoon in a cup of water.
• A little amount of milk is drawn into a cup and
mixed in equal volume of 3% Surf sol.
• Appearance of precipitation (+ ive) to thick
curd formation (++++ ive) are indications of
severity of mastitis.
California mastitis test for detection of mastitis
Surf field mastitis test
Treatment
• Per-acute to Acute mastitis should be treated
immediately by using broad spectrum antibiotics,
through both parenteral (IM or IV) injection as well as
intramammary (IMM) infusions.
• Sub-acute to chronic mastitis may require IMM
antibiotic infusions only.
• Inflammatory of udder and fever may be treated with
injection of Phenylbutazone and Flunixin meglumine,
or Sodium salicylates, can also be given orally.
• The milk of antibiotic treated cows should not be used for
human consumption but discarded.
Intramammary infusion
Prevention and control
• Vaccines for mastitis are available in some countries,
but it is experienced that they only reduce the severity
of the condition but do not prevent new infections.
• Good management practices such as good nutrition,
proper milking hygiene and the culling of chronically
infected cows can help to reduce mastitis.
• Dairy workers should wash hand each time while
milking different animals.
• The milking machines should be cleaned regularly to
decrease the incidence of mastitis and its transmission
to other animals.
DHIA 6 Point Plan - Mastitis control
program
• 1. Hygienic teat management: which includes good
housing management, effective teat preparation and
disinfection for good milk hygiene, teat health and
disease control.
• 2. Prompt identification and treatment of clinical
mastitis cases: including the use of the most
appropriate treatment for the symptoms.
• 3. Dry cow management and therapy: where cows are
dried off abruptly and teats are cleaned rigorously
before dry cow antibiotics are administered, including
the use of teat-end sealants if appropriate.
6 Point Plan - Mastitis control program
• 4. Culling chronically affected cows: cows that become
impossible to cure and represent a reservoir of
infection for the whole herd are culled.
• 5. Regular testing and maintenance of the milking
machine: with regular, recommended teat-cup liner
replacement and milking machine servicing and
attention paid to items which must be checked on a
daily, weekly or monthly basis.
• 6. Good record keeping: of all aspects of mastitis
treatment, dry cow therapy, milking machine servicing,
Somatic Cell Counts, and clinical mastitis cases.
Thanks