New infection rate of bovine mammary quarters after application of a bismuth subnitrate-free internal teat sealant at dry-off
Keywords:
teat sealant, bismuth subnitrate-free, new infection, dry period, minor pathogensAbstract
Internal teat sealants (ITS) are applied to prevent new intrammary infection during the dry period in dairy cattle. The common ITS products with confirmed efficacy contain the heavy metal salt bismuth subnitrate. The aim of this field study was to determine the efficacy of a novel bismuth subnitrate-free ITS prototype (BSFITS) in reducing new infections in comparison to untreated quarters (control). Therefore 50 cows from two organic German farms were treated with the BSFITS in a split-udder design. Cows included in the trial were free of clinical mastitis in the previous lactation and had a somatic cell count < 200,000 cells/mL in the last three dairy herd improvement tests. Quarter milk samples were collected at dry-off, within 5 to 12 d in milk (DIM) and 7 d later. The new infection rate (NIR) did not differ between treated and untreated quarters (12.6%). The predominant new infection causing agents were coryneforms and coagulase-negative staphylococci. The probability of developing NI during the dry period was higher in quarters infected with minor pathogens at dry-off. Within the first 100 DIM no case of clinical mastitis was reported in treated and untreated quarters. The present study could not determine a positive effect of the BSFITS in reducing the NIR in comparison to untreated quarters. Future studies with novel ITS should be performed on farms with a high incidence of IMI caused by environmental pathogens and further research about the relationship of causing agents and the sealing effect is recommended.
References
Oliver SP, Mitchell BA. Susceptibility of bovine mammary gland to infections during the dry period. J Dairy Sci. 1983;66(5):1162–6.
Bradley AJ, Breen JE, Payne B, Green MJ. A comparison of broad-spectrum and narrow-spectrum dry cow therapy used alone and in combination with a teat sealant. J Dairy Sci.2011;94(2):692-704.
Smith KL, Todhunter DA. The physiology of mammary glands during the dry period and the relationship to infection. In: 21st Annu Mtg Natl Mastitis Counc, Inc,. 1982.
Dingwell RT, Leslie KE, Schukken YH, Sargeant JM, Timms LL,Duffield TF, et al. Association of cow and quarter-level factors at drying-off with new intramammary infections during the dryperiod. Prev Vet Med. 2004;63(1-2):75–89.
Meaney WJ. Effect of a dry period teat seal on bovine udderinfection. Irish J Agric Res. 1977;16(3):293–9.
Woolford MW, Williamson JH, Day AM, Copeman PJ. The prophylactic effect of a teat sealer on bovine mastitis during the dry period and the following lactation. N Z Vet J. 1998;46(1):12–9.
Huxley JN, Green MJ, Green LE, Bradley AJ. Evaluation of the efficacy of an internal teat sealer during the dry period. J Dairy Sci. 2002;85(3):551–61.
Berry EA, Hillerton JE. The effect of an intramammary teat seal on new intramammary infections. J Dairy Sci. 2002;85(10):2512–20.
Krömker V, Grabowski NT, Friedrich J. New infection rate of bovine mammary glands after application of an internal teat seal at dry off. J Dairy Res. 2014;81:54–8.
Rabiee AR, Lean IJ. The effect of internal teat sealant products (Teatseal®and Orbeseal®) on intramammary infection, clinical mastitis, and somatic cell counts in lactating dairy cows: a meta-analysis. J Dairy Sci. 2013;96(11):6915–31.
Schaeren W, Maurer J. The use of an internal teat sealant, Orbeseal ®, as a preventive measure for the dry cow period. In: Proceedings of the 4th SAFO Workshops. Frick, Switzerland; 2005. p. 171–3.
Lay AM, Kolpin KM, Sommer DA, Rankin SA. Hot topic: Black spot defect in Cheddar cheese linked to intramammary teat sealant. J Dairy Sci. 2007;90(11):4938–41.
German Veterinary Association (GVA). Leitlinien zur Entnahme von Milchproben unter antiseptischen Bedingungen und Isolierung und Identifizierung von Mastitiserregern [Guidelines for Aseptic Milk Sampling and Guidelines to Isolate and Identify Mastitis Pathogens]. Giessen, Germany: German Veterinary Association; 2009.
Barkema HW, Schukken YH, Lam TJGM, Galligan DT, Beiboer ML, Brand A. Estimation of interdependence among quarters of the bovine udder with subclinical mastitis and implications for analysis. J Dairy Sci. 1997;80(8):1592–9.
Lam TJGM, DeJong MCM, Schukken YH, Brand A. Mathematical modeling to estimate efficacy of postmilking teat disinfection in split-udder trials of dairy cows. J Dairy Sci. 1996;79(1):62–70.
Lam TJGM, van Vliet JH, Schukken YH, Grommers FJ, van Velden-Russcher A, Barkema HW, et al. The effect of discontinuation of postmilking teat disinfection in low somatic cell count herds. II. Dynamics of intramammary infections. Vet Q. 1997;19(2):47–53.
Huxley JN, Green MJ, Bradley AJ. Corynebacterium bovis – friend or foe? In: Proceedings of the British Mastitis Conference, Garstang. 2003. p. 23–34.
Hogan JS, Smith KL, Todhunter DA, Schoenberger PS. Rate of environmental mastitis in quarters infected with Corynebacterium bovis and Staphylococcus species. J Dairy Sci. 1988;71(9):2520-5.
Hurley WL. Mammary gland function during involution. J Dairy
Sci. 1989;72(6):1637–46.
