Intramammary devices (IMD) were abraded with medium-grade emery cloth or were left smooth. One IMD of each type was inserted into a mammary quarter of each of 5 lactating cows. The remaining 2 quarters served as controls. Quarter foremilk, bucket milk, and stripping milk samples were collected for 3 consecutive days at 2 weeks after IMD insertion, and milk somatic cell counts (SCC) were determined. Milk samples also were collected immmediately after and 0.5, 1,2,4,6,8, and 11 hours after milking. All quarters were challenge exposed with 250 colony-forming units of Streptococcus uberis at 2 months after IMD insertion. Foremilk and stripping milk samples were collected for bacteriologic culture and SCC at the next 10 milkings. Mean foremilk, bucket milk, and stripping milk SCC (X 10(6) cells/ml) were 0.18, 0.07, and 0.91, respectively, for quarters with abraded IMD; 0.06, 0.05, and 0.43, respectively, for quarters with smooth IMD; and 0.03, 0.03, and 0.15, respectively, for control quarters. Mean SCC after milking ( X 10(6) cells/ml) for the various intervals were 0.70, 1.29, 0.70, 0.97, 1.15, 1.17, 0.77, and 0.85 for quarters with abraded IMD; 0.43, 0.62, 0.61, 0.45, 0.64, 0.60, 0.31, and 0.26 for quarters with smooth IMD; and 0.15, 0.24, 0.15, 0.19, 0.15, 0.15, 0.14, and 0.06 for control quarters. After challenge exposure, 2 of 5 of the quarters with abraded IMD, 4 of 5 of the quarters with smooth IMD, and 8 of 9 of control quarters became infected. Results indicated that abraded IMD increased SCC in stripping milk to concentrations that provided 60% protection against challenge exposure with S uberis.

A field survey was conducted in Karimnagar, Kamareddy, Jagtial, and Peddapalli districts of Northern Telangana state of India to ascertain the milking management practices followed by dairy farmers and data were collected from randomly selected 240 dairy farmers from 24 villages of 8 mandals belonging to the above 4 newly formed districts through personal interview with the help of a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. The present study revealed that, all the respondents milked their animals twice in a day and followed most of the good milking practices. All the farmers allowed the calf to suckle at both the times, 33.75% of the respondents offered concentrate feed and practiced teat manipulation for milk let down. Most of the farmers milked the animals at the same place by using scientific milking pails and adopted the practice of drying off their dairy animals two months before calving. Most of the respondents didn’t follow teat dipping. Majority of respondents (99.17%) followed cleaning of milking utensils with tap water. Most of respondents sold their milk to village dairy co-operative society and none of the respondents followed testing for mastitis and sealing of teat canal at the end of lactation in their dairy animals. It can be concluded that, there is enough scope in imparting scientific dairy management practices to the farmers in the study area through training programmes and frequent exposure visits to organised dairy farms apart from providing them milk chilling facility in the form of Bulk milk coolers at village level.

OBJECTIVE To determine the concentration of tilmicosin in mammary gland secretions of dairy cows following administration of an experimental preparation once or twice during the dry period (45-day period immediately prior to calving during which cows are not milked) and to evaluate its efficacy for the treatment of cows with intramammary infections (IMIs) caused by Staphylococcus aureus at dry off (cessation of milking; first day of dry period), compared with that of an intramammary infusion of ceftiofur. ANIMALS 172 cows. PROCEDURES Milk samples were collected for microbiological culture 5 days before dry off and at calving and 15 and 30 days after calving. Cows with Staphylococcus IMIs were randomly assigned to receive an experimental preparation of tilmicosin (20 mg/kg, SC) once at dry off (n = 58) or at dry off and again 20 days later (56) or receive a long-acting intramammary preparation of ceftiofur (500 mg/mammary gland; 56) at dry off. Mammary gland secretions were collected from 5 cows in the tilmicosin-treated groups every 5 days after dry off until calving for determination of tilmicosin concentration. RESULTS Mean maximum concentration of tilmicosin in mammary gland secretions ranged from 14.4 to 20.9 μg/mL after the first dose and was 17.1 μg/mL after the second dose. The bacteriologic cure rate was 100% for all 3 treatments. Tilmicosin was detectable for 0 and 18 days after calving in the milk of cows treated with 1 and 2 doses of tilmicosin, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Administration of an experimental preparation of tilmicosin (20 mg/kg, SC) once to dairy cows at dry off might be useful for the treatment of S aureus IMIs.

A method was developed to evaluate frequent milking as a means of controlling intramammary infection. An artificial intramammary environment was used to determine growth responses of Escherichia coli (P4) to natural changes in the mammary gland resulting from bacterial invasion. Physical conditions manipulated in this model were growth medium, temperature, and oxygen tension. Mathematical modeling was then incorporated to generate predictions concerning growth dynamics of the organism when milking frequency was changed. To test accuracy of the model, initial predictions were derived from bacterial growth data in which E coli was incubated in tryptose soy broth for 12 hours at 37 C and PO2 equal to 23.3 mm of Hg. These predictions matched closely with experimental data in which 12-, 4-, and 2-hour milking intervals were simulated in the artificial intramammary environment. The mathematical model was then used to characterize growth rate data from in vitro experiments in ultra-high temperature-treated milk and in vivo experimental infection data generated with E coli (P4). Predictions generated from this model suggested that increasing milking frequency to 4 or 6 times daily controls growth of E coli for a prolonged period and that 12 times daily milking may lead to elimination of the bacterium.

Intramammary devices (IMD) were abraded with medium-grade emery cloth or were left smooth. One IMD of each type was inserted into a mammary quarter of each of 5 lactating cows. The remaining 2 quarters served as controls. Quarter foremilk, bucket milk, and stripping milk samples were collected for 3 consecutive days at 2 weeks after IMD insertion, and milk somatic cell counts (SCC) were determined. Milk samples also were collected immmediately after and 0.5, 1,2,4,6,8, and 11 hours after milking. All quarters were challenge exposed with 250 colony-forming units of Streptococcus uberis at 2 months after IMD insertion. Foremilk and stripping milk samples were collected for bacteriologic culture and SCC at the next 10 milkings. Mean foremilk, bucket milk, and stripping milk SCC (X 10(6) cells/ml) were 0.18, 0.07, and 0.91, respectively, for quarters with abraded IMD; 0.06, 0.05, and 0.43, respectively, for quarters with smooth IMD; and 0.03, 0.03, and 0.15, respectively, for control quarters. Mean SCC after milking (X 10(6) cells/ml) for the various intervals were 0.70, 1.29, 0.70, 0.97, 1.15, 1.17, 0.77, and 0.85 for quarters with abraded IMD; 0.43, 0.62, 0.61, 0.45, 0.64, 0.60, 0.31, and 0.26 for quarters with smooth IMD; and 0.15, 0.24, 0.15, 0.19, 0.15, 0.15, 0.14, and 0.06 for control quarters. After challenge exposure, 2 of 5 of the quarters with abraded IMD, 4 of 5 of the quarters with smooth IMD, and 8 of 9 of control quarters became infected. Results indicated that abraded IMD increased SCC in stripping milk to concentrations that provided 60% portection against challenge eexposure with S uberis.

Objective—To examine behavioral and physiologic effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mastitis in lactating dairy cows. Animals—20 Holstein cows. Procedures—Cows were assigned to 5 blocks (4 cows/block) on the basis of parity and number of days in lactation. Intramammary infusion and IV treatments were assigned in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Cows within each block were assigned to receive intramammary infusion with 25 μg of LPS or sterile PBS solution 3 hours after milking, and treatment with flunixin meglumine or sterile PBS solution was administered IV 4 hours after intramammary infusion. Video monitoring was continuously performed during the study. Results—LPS-infused cows spent less time during the first 12 hours after infusion lying, eating, and chewing cud, compared with results for PBS solution-infused cows. Behavioral responses were correlated with physiologic responses for the first 12 hours after intramammary infusion. Flunixin meglumine administration after intramammary infusion mitigated some behavioral and clinical systemic responses. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Intramammary infusion of LPS caused changes in both behavioral and physiologic variables in lactating dairy cows. Time spent lying, eating, and chewing cud were negatively correlated with physiologic responses in cows. Evaluation of behavior patterns may provide an ancillary measure, along with evaluation of physiologic variables, for monitoring well-being, clinical responses, and recovery from acute clinical mastitis.

Results of the scientifically-economic experience lead in farm Zarechje (Smolevichskij district of the Minsk area) have shown, that perfect metabolizable energy concentration in dry matter of a diet at milking period for first-calve cows is 11,7 MJ/kg. It allows to increase natural milk productivity at 8,24% (27,4 against 25,4 kg) and 4%-milk outcome – at 8,93% as well as effective usage of metabolizable energy for production up to 4,9% (P less than 0,01) and minimum of production warmth loses