Magazine on Mastitis and Milk quality for the dairy professional
The SmartDry project, led by Teagasc, supports Irish dairy farmers in the transition from blanket to selective dry cow therapy following new EU regulations restricting preventative antibiotic use. Through on-farm research, farmer collaboration, and decision-support tools, the project aims to reduce antibiotic use while maintaining udder health, improving dry-off practices, and promoting sustainable mastitis management.
Read MoreThe University of Minnesota (UMN), US has maintained a unique herd of unselected Holsteins since the mid-1960s when Dr. Charles Young developed a breeding program as part of a multistate, north central regional (NC-2) project (Young, 1977; Weber et al., 2007). The original foundation cows in the UMN breeding program were paired by genetic merit and assigned to either a low- or high-merit line. The high-merit cows and their female descendants have been inseminated with semen from high Predicted Transmitting Abilities (PTA)-milk sires and represent contemporary Holsteins. The low-merit cows and their female descendants have been bred with semen from sires that were breed average for PTA-milk in 1964 and thus represent average US Holsteins from the mid-1960s. Average milk yield of the unselected Holsteins has remained relatively stable at about 6,500 kg/305 lactation while yield of their contemporary Holstein herdmates has continued to increase.
Read MoreA new multidisciplinary research team composed of Christopher Fernandez-Prada, David Langlais, Jocelyn Dubuc, Éric Paquet, and Simon Dufour, based in the province of Québec, and involving multiple centers (UdeM, McGill, and U. Laval), has decided to explore how genetic mutations may contribute to cases of antibiotic treatment failure, AMR, and persistent or recurring infections in dairy cows. If these mutations can be identified, the research team could develop new tests to predict how easily a cow will get sick. In addition, the research team will also shed new light on how a weak immune system can lead to an increased frequency of AMR infections in dairy cows.
Read MoreHock injuries are a common injury in dairy cows that are housed indoors for the greater part of the year. Oftentimes, the lesions indicate inadequate stall or cubicle design in dairy barns. The presence and severity of hock lesions are associated with lameness and other disorders of the limb, which is why most welfare evaluations target hock lesion reductions to improve cow welfare. It is thought that hock lesions may also be associated with mastitis and reduced milk yield. In order to better understand the association between hock lesions and the development of Staphylococcus aureus mastitis, an undergraduate student from the University of Vermont (UVM), US headed-up a case study within the student-run herd as a senior thesis project with the help of her advisor Dr. John Barlow and his graduate students. Veterinarian and UVM PhD student Caitlin Jeffrey presented the findings at the National Mastitis Council Annual Meeting, held in February of this year.
Read MoreAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most important threats to human and animal health. There are indications of a pending “post-antibiotic era” where AMR will cause 10 million human deaths per year globally by 2050 if no serious action is taken (O’Neill, 2016).
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