Improving mastitis detection in the laboratory and on the farm
New markers and assays from Porto Conte Ricerche, Sardinia – In addition to the well known problems in dairy cows, mastitis causes significant losses on small ruminant dairy farms. The impact on milk quantity and quality of the subclinical disease is made worse by the suboptimal diagnostic performance of Somatic Cell Counts. In areas where small ruminant farming is an important part of the local economy, such as in Sardinia and in other Mediterranean countries, improving mastitis detection is a primary need. The Research & Development Laboratories at Porto Conte Ricerche, in the heart of the Science and Technology Park of Sardinia, have accepted the daunting challenge of finding new markers and of developing novel, high-performance assays for mastitis.
At the most recent European Mastitis Research Workers meeting in Worcester, England, Filippa Addis explained how, at the R & D Laboratories, they met the challenge. The net results: new findings on immunity of the mammary gland, a high performance biomarker, and new assays that not only improve mastitis detection in small ruminants, but also outperform Somatic Cell Counts for monitoring mastitis in dairy cows.
The challenge: improving mastitis detection in small ruminants
In addition to its relevance for the dairy cow industry, mastitis is also one of the major problems affecting small ruminant production. It is therefore crucial to rely on efficient systems for readily monitoring the appearance of mastitis on all dairy farms, in order to be able to adopt the necessary measures in a short time frame and keep
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