German collaborative project works to improve udder health through cell differentiation
A collaborative project in Germany, ZellDiX, is using cell differentiation technology to assess and index udder health within its milk-recording scheme. Using advanced milk-testing technology, Fossomatic 7 DC, the German milk-testing lab, Landeskontrollverband Nordrhein Westfalen, hopes to provide information that will help farmers make better herd management decisions on the farm. Ultimately, their goals are to lower antibiotic use, improve productivity and promote udder health.
For decades now, milk-testing laboratories like Landeskontrollverband Nordrhein Westfalen have been using somatic cell count as an indicator of mastitis. Somatic cell count is very low in uninfected glands. However, when infection is present, the body sends high numbers of somatic cells to the injured site.
While the somatic cell count is still the ultimate test for mastitis screening, more refined screening could allow for the
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