Know Your Bugs: Milk Culturing Guides Targeted Mastitis Treatment

(May 18, 2010) When mastitis problems are detected, knowing the pathogen can make a big difference in treatment success. That’s why milk culturing is an important tool to target mastitis treatment.

“Milk culturing provides valuable insights about specific pathogens a dairy operation is dealing with, both clinically and subclinically,” says Bradley Mills, DVM, senior veterinarian, Pfizer Animal Health. “Mastitis is a common problem for many dairy operations; however, producers often haphazardly identify and treat mastitis.”

Culturing milk samples helps producers uncover the root of mastitis problems by identifying specific environmental or contagious pathogens. By pinpointing pathogens, producers can select the most effective protocol to help improve cow health and reduce overall treatment costs. 

“It is important to match mastitis treatment to the bug. For example, infections caused by E. coli should be treated with a product effective against that pathogen, such as SPECTRAMAST^® LC,” says Mills. “Choosing the proper treatment increases the odds of a successful outcome and helps producers avoid extra treatment and milk discard costs.”

The appropriate milk culturing protocol depends on the individual dairy’s parlor management system and specific milk quality goals. Mills reminds producers of a few general guidelines for when and how to culture:

• Sample clinical cases — Culture individual cows with clinical mastitis to identify pathogens present, plan treatment protocols and guide culling decisions. Look for patterns of outbreaks that could indicate poor milking procedures, problems with bedding hygiene or contagious pathogen issues.
• Perform periodic bulk tank sampling — Bulk tank culturing can help determine if contagious pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae or Mycoplasma bovis, are present. When contagious pathogens are detected, further milk culturing and individual cow samples must be collected to develop specific treatments.
• Review fresh cow cultures — Fresh cow culturing can help evaluate dry cow therapies by detecting any persisting pathogens. Culturing fresh cows also helps provide insights into basic udder health during the dry period. 
• Culture incoming cattle — It’s easy to inherit problems when purchasing cattle. Producers should screen all incoming cows for mastitis-causing pathogens and decide on a course of action — culling or tailored treatment — based on specific pathogens identified.

As a vital part of a milk quality program, producers should work with their veterinarian to implement tailored milk culturing protocols. By identifying mastitis pathogens in the herd, producers can make more educated treatment decisions, thereby reducing treatment costs and improving overall cow health and production.

Important Safety Information: Inappropriate dosage or treatment intervals for SPECTRAMAST LC or failure to adhere to proper milk discard period will result in violative milk residues. SPECTRAMAST LC requires a 72-hour milk discard period and a two-day pre-slaughter withdrawal period following the last treatment. As with all drugs, SPECTRAMAST LC should not be used in animals found to be hypersensitive to the product.

Pfizer Animal Health, a business of Pfizer Inc., is a world leader in discovering and developing innovative animal prescription medicines and vaccines, investing an estimated $300 million annually. Beyond the U.S., Pfizer Animal Health also supports veterinarians and their customers in more than 60 countries around the world. For more information on how Pfizer Animal Health works to ensure a safe, sustainable global food supply with healthy livestock and poultry, or how Pfizer helps companion animals and horses to live longer, healthier lives, visit www.pfizerah.com.

###