Short Communication: Comparison of Bulk Milk, Yield-Corrected, and Average Somatic Cell Counts as Parameters to Summarize the Subclinical Mastitis Situation in a Dairy Herd
Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: In this study, the correlation was determined between the prevalence of high cow-level somatic cell count (SCC >250,000 cells/mL), a summary of the subclinical mastitis situation in a dairy herd, and 3 average herd SCC parameters: bulk milk SCC (BMSCC), yield-corrected test-day SCC (CHSCC), and the arithmetic average test-day SCC (HSCC) of the lactating herd. The herd prevalence of cows with an SCC of >250,000 cells/mL was calculated by using Dairy Herd Improvement data. Herds were included if BMSCC was sampled within 2 d of the Dairy Herd Improvement test day and if the BMSCC did not exceed 400,000 cells/mL. The interval between sampling, 0, 1, or 2 d, did not significantly influence the correlation between BMSCC and the prevalence of high SCC. The correlations between the prevalence of high SCC and BMSCC, yield-corrected test-day SCC, and HSCC, examined by using a linear regression model, were 0.64, 0.78, and 0.89, respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that, based on the highest correlation, HSCC is a more appropriate parameter than BMSCC to summarize the average herd subclinical mastitis situation in a dairy herd.
Source: Journal of Dairy Science
DOI: 10.3168/jds.2006-871
Authors: J.J. Lievaart, W.D.J. Kremer, H.W. Barkema
Institutions: Utrecht University, University of Calgary
Language: English
Subfield: Animal Science and Zoology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1998659970