Ruminant Medicine Test 1 Mastitis

Front 1

** What is the max somatic cell count for bulk milk in the US?

Is this count higher or lower in European countries?

Back 1

750,000


Europe has 500k, so ours is higher.

Front 2

** What is the ideal somatic cell count for bulk tank milk in the US?

Back 2

200,000

Front 3

Milk is always tested for ________.

Back 3

Beta lactam antibiotics

Front 4

** What is the SPC?

What is the Max?

What is the ideal?

Back 4

The bacterial count of the milk

100,000 max
5000 or less is ideal

Front 5

What are major causes of increased bacterial counts in milk?

Back 5

Contamination
Mastitis
Improper milking technique
Poor sanitation/contamination

Front 6

What is the main cause of an increased somatic cell count?

Back 6

Mastitis

Front 7

** What is a linear score?

What is a good average linear score?

Back 7

A log conversion of somatic cell count data to linearize it from 0-9.

3-4 or less is a good average

Front 8

What parts make up the mastitis disease complex?

Back 8

Cow, Man, Environment, Machines, Microbes themselves

Front 9

Without mastitis control, expect _____% of cows affected in ____% of their udders.

Back 9

50% of cows in 50% of their udders

Front 10

How many of your mastitis cases will be subclinical?

Back 10

60-70%

Front 11

T/F Mastitis is the leading cause of loss of production in dairies.

Back 11

True, or at least it used to be before control.

Front 12

The weighted average is the ________ of each _____ linear score of _______.

What is great about this?

Back 12

It is the arithmetic mean of each linear score of each cow in a herd.

This lets you backtrack from the weighted average to see which cows are adding the most to the cell counts so you can deal with them.

Front 13

How do teat-end impacts occur?

Back 13

When air enters between the teat and the liner, causing a backflow of milk into the opposite teat.

Front 14

What are some things that can predispose a cow to mastitis?

Back 14

Low udders, and breaks in the teat end defenses (cuts, poor conformation)

Front 15

T/F Cylindrical teats are said to be less prone to developing mastitis.

Back 15

True, over cone-shaped ones

Front 16

T/F The teat end usually keeps out millions of bacteria, but it only takes a couple of them to get in to have mastitis.

Back 16

True

Front 17

What age cows and at what time of the year and lactation are cows more likely to get mastitis?

Back 17

Older cows
More common in the beginning and end of lactation
More common in the warm and wet summer months

Front 18

As a general rule, use these two antibiotics to treat the following kinds of mastitis bugs in dairy cows:

Gram +
Gram -

Back 18

Gram + Penicillin
Gram - Ceftiofur

Front 19

Describe milking out a cow as a treatment for mastitis, and in what ways it can help the cow and farmer.

Back 19

It means taking the cow out of the milking herd and letting her dry off, as well as removing the milk she has.

- It lets her rest and heal
- It lets you not have to worry about withdrawal times before milking
- It gets the problem cows' milk out of the tanks

Front 20

* If you give a systemic antibiotic, you will need to _________.

Back 20

1. Milk out all 4 quarters
2. Use proper withdrawal times

Front 21

Having these 2 nutrients is important for prevening mastitis.

Back 21

Vitamin A
Selenium

Front 22

What are the main contagious organisms of mastits?

What are the main environmental organisms of mastits?

Back 22

S. agalactiae, S. aureus, Mycoplasma, Corynebacterium

Coliformes (E.coli), some Streps.

Front 23

What is the most common bacterial cause of contagious mastitis?

Back 23

S. aureus

Front 24

When you think warm and wet with thin milk, think ______

Back 24

Coliforme mastitis

Front 25

What happens to each of these components in the milk in mastitis?

pH
Na+
Cl-
Ig levels
SCC's
Casein
Lactose

Back 25

pH increases
Na+ increases
Cl- increases
Ig level increases
SCC's increases
Casein decreases
Lactose decreases

Front 26

** If you have a gangrenous mastitis, think:

Back 26

S. aureus

Front 27

For every clinical case of mastitis, estimate there are ____ subclinical animals in the herd

Back 27

15-40

Front 28

** T/F Subclinical infections cause the greatest losses in milk, the acute flare-ups are handled usually by the farmer, and vets get the toxic or peracute cases.

Back 28

True

Front 29

What is the definition of mastitis?

Back 29

Inflammation of the mammary gland from microbes or toxins

Front 30

What are the cardinal signs of inflammation (think pathology)

Back 30

Pain
Redness
Loss of function
Heat
Swelling

Front 31

** Which bug should you think of when you hear:

1. Subclinical mastitis
2. Chronic
3. Gangrenous
4. Toxic

Back 31

1. Subclinical = Staph aureus
2. Chronic = Strep agalactiae
3. Gangrenous = Staph aureis
4. Toxic = Coliform

Front 32

Why will only about 2/3 of milk cultures come back with a positive culture of an organism?

Back 32

Often the infection has been cleared by the time the sample is taken, or there is contamination (if 3+ organisms are cultured on the plate). The samples could have also been improperly handled.

Front 33

** What does the CMT test do? With what? What is it supposed to find?

Back 33

It indirectly measures cell counts with a detergent and a pH indicator.

It's goal is to detect SUBCLINICAL mastitis.

Front 34

What test do we use to test for subclinical mastitis?

Back 34

CMT

Front 35

What is the SCC?

What is it's unit?

** What is a normal SCC?

Back 35

The somatic cell count

Cells/mL milk

Less than 200,000 (may contradict other slide)

Front 36

What are some milk-borne diseases (ie- why should you not drink raw milk)

Back 36

Brucellosis
Tuberculosis
Salmonellosis
Listeriosis
Campylobacter jejuni

Front 37

High SCC herds tend to get _____
Low SCC herds tend to get _____

Back 37

High: Contagious; Strep and Staph

Low: Environmental; Coliformes

Front 38

**What fairly umcommon cause of mastitis is contagious, causes subclinical disease, and is easy to treat with Penicillin and Blitz therapy?

Back 38

Strep. agalactiae

- It is uncommon because it is so easily controlled

Front 39

** What common cause of mastitis is contagious, hard to treat, the most common case of chronic subclinical mastitis and invades tissues making nodules so it is hard to reach with antibiotics? (It is therefore more often treated with drying the cow off or culling)

What is interesting about the bacterial and cell counts when you take samples?

Back 39

Staph aureus

The bacterial and cell counts are inverse from what you would expect.

Front 40

Describe Blitz therapy

What is it used for?

Back 40

Culturing the whole herd, then treating the positive cows with Penicillin or similar drugs.

To treat S. agalactiae mastitis

Front 41

T/F Most Strep mastitis is from environmental Streps, not contagious ones.

Back 41

True

Front 42

** What cause of "Summer/Heifer" mastitis happens sporadically, comes from the environment, and likes to make nice meaty pus in thickened quarters?

Back 42

Arcanobacterium pyogenes

Front 43

** What cause of contagious, explosive outbreaks of mastitis likes to just affect the quarters (cows not sick or may have respiratory disease or joint issues) and is pretty much impossible to treat?

Which species is most common?

Back 43

Mycoplasma

M. bovis

Front 44

** Which cause of mastitis is seen occasionally, often found after cows have not responded to normal mastitis treatment, and is usually self-limiting?

Back 44

Yeast

Front 45

** What important environmental cause of mastitis likes warm, wet conditions and likes to make warm, wet udders with watery milk?

** What kind of mastitis do these organisms like to cause?

Back 45

Coliforms

Acute/Toxic

Front 46

* What drug is commonly used to treat Coliform mastitis?

* What vaccine is available for E. coli?

Back 46

Ceftiofur

J5 plasma immunization

Front 47

About how many cows treated with Penicillin for S. agalactiae mastitis while in milk will be cured?

Back 47

70-90%

Front 48

* How is Staph aureus primarily transmitted to other cows (what action?)

Back 48

At milking

Front 49

* What bug is of more concern in goats for mastitis?

Back 49

Coagulase-negative Staph

Front 50

Are vaccines for Coliforms cost effective?

Back 50

Yes, and they should be used.

Front 51

* What cause of a contagious mastitis causes subclinical infection, is often self-limiting, that you won't see if good teat dipping is used?

Back 51

Corynebacterium bovis

Front 52

* What causes a usually fatal gangrenous mastitis, with formation of gas, causing creptius?

Back 52

Clostridium spp.

Front 53

This uncommon cause of mastitis is known for creating port-wine colored secretions from the teat, and it can kill a cow in a day?

Back 53

Bacillus cereus

Front 54

* This bug is a bigger problem in sheep and goats

Back 54

Pasteurella manheimia

Front 55

** What are things to always do when treating mastitis with drugs?

Back 55

1. Always do aseptic infusions
2. Partial insertion is preferred
3. Do after milking
4. Teat dip afterward

Front 56

* What is the goal of mastitis control?

How cost effective is it?

Back 56

To reduce the incidence to acceptable levels (not eradicate), below 50%

$3-5 profit for every $1 in control cost

Front 57

*** What are the 5 steps of mastitis control given by the National Mastitis Control Program?

Back 57

1. Proper milking procedure (hygiene, machine maintenance, pre-dipping)
2. Dip every teat of every cow after milking
3. Dry treatment at lactation end
4. Treat clinical cases properly
5. Cull chronic cases

Front 58

* Reducing at least one of these things will reduce levels of mastitis in a herd

Back 58

1. Reduce frequency of new infections
2. Reduce duration of infections

Front 59

T/F Teat sealants prevent infections without the addition of antibiotics

Back 59

True; they are just a paste

Front 60

T/F Blood in the milk is fairly common, often at calving from trauma, there is no known effective treatment and it often resolves on it's own.

Back 60

True

Front 61

When you see thin milk think _____

Back 61

Coliforms