The 41st annual meeting of the National Mastitis Council was held February 3-6, 2002 in Orlando, Florida. Winston Ingalls of our editorial board attended the meeting and provided the following summary for our users.
The 2002 NMC annual meeting provided an opportunity for people with a common interest in mastitis and milk quality from many countries to attend or participate in various committees, training courses and the technical presentations aimed at a variety of topics.
The short courses offered attendees opportunities to hear and discuss the latest thinking on such topics as teat skin problems, testing milking equipment and understanding basic mastitis microbiology.
Cutting Edge Research
The technical presentations offered detailed reviews of various subjects. In his keynote address, Dr. John Bramley of the University of Vermont addressed the issue of whether transgenics may eventually provide an opportunity to improve dairy cattle mastitis resistance. While there remains a long ways to go, significant progress has already been made towards this goal and it may be feasible at some point in the future to increase the mammary glands capacity to defend itself against bacterial challenges from organisms such as Staph aureus. Like all cutting edge research many fundamental and technical questions are yet to be resolved but the effort to date indicates the approach has potential.
How to Handle the Transition Cow/Heifer
Several speakers addressed the issue of the problems of the transition cow. Around the time of parturition animals are under tremendous stress which greatly suppresses the immune system’s ability to protect the body against bacterial challenges. It was clear from the papers presented that many (as many as 50% of all new mastitis infections) occur at this time.
Adequate and proper nutrition plays a role and various micronutrients and vitamins must be balanced properly in the ration or in supplements to help improve defenses. Energy balances typically are out of line at this time and must be dealt with. Milk fever, ketosis, retained placentas etc are associated with increased mastitis problems near the time of calving.
The bottom line of these papers was that transition cows need help keeping their defenses up so they can fight off infections. Clean stalls and housing areas, proper nutrition, effective use of therapeutics are all necessary to avoid problems.
First calf heifers are an especially vulnerable group. Unfortunately many first calf heifers come in with mastitis or develop it shortly after calving. This group of cattle needs very close attention to help minimize problems. Up until the heifer calves she has been all cost and has produced no returns. It is costly and unacceptable to lose heifers just when they are about to produce a return.
Mastitis Vaccine Update
Several research groups are working very hard on potential new vaccines for Strep and Staph aureus mastitis. These are tough problems but it appears they are discovering new approaches that show promise. There is still much to do but the necessary understanding of these diseases is being developed and in the next few years we are likely to see potential new vaccines aimed at these bacterial causes of mastitis.
Mastitis and Bedding
A paper by researchers at the University of Minnesota made it clear that many of the commonly used bedding materials are capable of growing tremendous numbers of bacteria under conditions that provide moisture and warmth. Even material that looks clean can still be a source of huge numbers of bacteria.
Their research findings indicated that very fine organic bedding materials allow greater bacterial growth than coarser material. Sand is the best bedding material if managed properly and if the facilities can handle it.
Keeping the back third of stalls clean, dry and as free of manure as possible helps reduce bacteria growth. The bedding material that is below the surface is generally the most contaminated layer. When it is dug out and brought to the surface it actually increases the bacteria counts dramatically.
Little benefit has been seen with adding lime and similar materials to the back of stalls although they are now evaluating a product that may have some potential to minimize bacterial growth.
Dairy Management
Tom Thompson of Stotz Dairy in Arizona discussed their approach to managing a very large dairy milking 6000 cows. Every aspect of cow handling and management is driven by detailed written protocols. Data on many issues is constantly reviewed and if benchmarks are exceeded an investigation takes place. The protocols allow a consistent approach to be taken to all activities that occur on the dairy.
Biosecurity
Two presentations were made regarding the importance of farm biosecurity. As farms get larger and cattle are moved from farm to farm, biosecurity measures must be in place to minimize the risks. Mastitis pathogens, hairy footwarts, Johne’s disease and many other contagious diseases are potential threats. Plans should be in place to prevent such pathogens from invading.
Further Information
The National Mastitis Council holds a year meeting to highlight the latest technical and applied information relating to udder health, milking management, milk quality and milk safety.
Some of the international participants at this year’s meeting included Olav Østerås of the Norwegian Cattle Health Service, Andy Potter, Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Eric Hillerton, Institute for Animal Health, Compton, UK and Graeme Mein, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Copies of the Annual Meeting Proceedings may be purchased from the NMC. Contact them at www.nmconline.org.
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