Archive Article: 2000/08/04
uA VACCINE to cut the risks of Step uberis mastitis in dairy cows is being developed commercially, according to Jamie Leigh of the Institute of Animal Health, Berks. A vaccine was discovered in 1991, but had not yet been marketed, he said. It is a live vaccine which is protective, but it is strain specific, so will never be 100% effective. Field trials of the vaccine are being done in the US.
uFREEZING samples of milk from cows suffering mastitis, before antibiotic treatment, can improve mastitis control on farms. Somerset vet Martin Green said samples could then be tested in the lab when treatment failed, when there was a mastitis outbreak, or three times a year to identify the bugs present. Testing a batch of samples could provide valuable information for mastitis prevention and treatments.
uWHEN a cow gets mastitis eight weeks after calving she may have had the bacteria in her udder for some time, according to vet Martin Green. One cow in a study carried bacteria for toxic mastitis for 12 weeks into lactation before showing any clinical signs; the bug was first identified in her milk two weeks before drying off. *