Abstract

Heifer mastitis caused by Streptococcus uberis is a significant problem for New Zealand dairy farmers. The mechanisms of infection in the pre-partum period have not been fully elucidated but prior research has established that the teats of dairy cows are contaminated with significantly higher numbers of S. uberis during the dry period as compared to during lactation. It is hypothesised that gross teat-end contamination by these bacteria before calving is a significant risk factor for the entry of bacteria through the teat canal and establishment of infection. Regular disinfection of the teats in the dry period was evaluated as a means to reduce teat-end contamination and consequently to decrease the likelihood of glands developing an infection. Two groups of 27 heifers were assigned to either a ‘sprayed’ or ‘not-sprayed’ treatment. The sprayed heifers were teat-sprayed with a commercial iodine-based post-milking teat sanitizer three times a week for the last three weeks before calving. Before commencement of the experiment, teat-ends were swabbed to determine pre-existing contamination with S. uberis, which averaged 610 colony-forming units (cfu). Prior to calving, S. uberis counts on teat-ends were 560 cfu for the sprayed group and 1775 cfu for the non-sprayed group (p = 0.06). Bacteriology of milk from each gland at the first milking showed that 4% of glands of the sprayed heifers were infected with S. uberis compared with 11% for the non-sprayed heifers (p < 0.05). At the first herd test, heifers in the sprayed group had a lower SCC (380,000 cells/ml) compared to the non-sprayed group (790,000 cells/ml), although due to the small size of the study, this difference was not significant. It was concluded that teat-spraying in the dry period could reduce teat-end contamination and consequently the proportion of glands infected by S. uberis at calving.

MG, Lopez-Benavides, JH Williamson, SJ Lacy-Hulbert, and RT Cursons

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 66, Napier, 168-171, 2006