Associations of husbandry management factors with the new infection risk of bovine intra- mammary infections in lactation of dairy herds in Northern Germany

Authors

  • Matthias Gösling Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Faculty II, Microbiology, Hannover, Germany https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5460-8711
  • Doris Klocke Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Faculty II, Microbiology, Hannover, Germany https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8235-5854
  • Friederike Reinecke Regional Council of Giessen, Dept. 51.2, Wetzlar, Germany
  • Veit Zoche-Golob German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Unit Epidemiology, Zoonoses and Antimicrobial Resistance, Berlin, Germany https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0164-6255
  • Martin tho Seeth Chamber of Agriculture Lower Saxony, Udder Health Service, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany
  • Jan-Hendrik Paduch Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Faculty II, Microbiology, Hannover, Germany
  • Volker Krömker Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5678-2502

Keywords:

bovine mastitis, new infection risk, husbandry management

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to compare herd-level new infection risk of bovine intramammary infections regarding husbandry management factors. The new infection risk was derived from cow-level somatic cell counts that were provided by monthly dairy herd improvement tests and collected over a period of 3 years and 4 months from 60 commercial dairy farms located in Lower Saxony, Germany. Factors of the management of the farm, the livestock and milking were generated as potential predicting variables. Based on the results of linear mixed models, the herd-level new infection risk was significantly associated with the pre-milking routine and the housing of fresh-lactating cows. When forestripping of every cow was included in the pre-milking routine, this had a beneficial impact on the new infection risk, especially when a foremilking cup was used. Keeping fresh-lactating cows in pens separated from the herd had a negative impact on the udder health, especially when housed together with sick cows. The results of this study confirm that the management of the milking routine and the environment can contribute to the control of udder health and milk quality.

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2021-04-07 — Updated on 2021-04-26

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Vol. 74 No. 1 (2021): milk science international_2021_1

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