Factors associated with clinical mastitis incidence in French dairy herds during late gestation and early lactation.

A prospective epidemiological survey was conducted in dairy herds in Brittany (France), concerning 139 herd-years. The data were divided into ten 14 herd-year groups (deciles) and three of these were compared using discrimination by barycentric analysis to study herd late gestation and early lactation variables associated with the annual incidence of herd clinical mastitis in the first 60 days of gestation (CMAI). The first decile included herd-years with low CMAI (o to 4.6%), the second decile, herd-years with medium CMAI (11.6 to 14.3%) and the last decile, herd-years with high CMAI (26.3 to 45.5%). Herd data included diet components, milk yield and reproduction parameters, clinical diseases, body condition score, body dirtiness score and circulating biochemical and hematological markers. The high CMAI group had the following characteristics: 1) lower percentages of dried cows supplemented with vitamins 'ADE'; 2) higher levels of plasma ceruloplasmin and higher gamma glutamyl transferase activities (GGT) in the late gestation period; 3) higher percentages of winter calvings (December, January, February). Clinical mastitis risk could be controlled by supplementations with vitamins A, D and E in the late gestation period, because of the potential relationship between oxidative stress and mastitis. Higher GGT activities would be associated with Fasciolasis via common climatic risk factors (rainfall, humidity) for both mastitis and liver flukes. Winter calving and clinical mastitis would be associated with unfavourable hygiene conditions and stress at calving related to high animal density and bad weather conditions. Ceruloplasmin could be a specific predictor for mastitis risk through nutritional, immune and genetic interrelated factors.