Managing Mastitis

Mastitis and cell count elevation go hand in hand. Over the years many mastitis detection tools have been developed and all work on the basis that the changing chemical composition of mastitis milk is characterised by the change of individual parameters, these are then measured and indicate whether mastitis is present or not.

The battery powered testers measure how well electricity flows through the milk. Mastitis milk is saltier and therefore the conductivity of the milk goes up.The sheets of mastitis detection paper, with four yellow dots on it, show changes in colour when the pH of the milk drops as it does with mastitis. The paddle testing with rapid mastitis test solution works on the basis that the protein from the somatic cells reacts with the detergent in the test solution and forms a gel.

Most people use the rapid mastitis test or an electronic tester. The most important thing when using either of them is to always use them in the exact same way, like same cleaning procedure between each individual test with electronic devices and with the rapid mastitis test keep the ratio milk to test solution constant very time. This is the only way to get consistent results and remember that if you want to know the actual cell count per ml of milk you need to have a device that counts cells. Your hand held little job (tester) does not do that sort of thing. That is where herd testing comes in as the gold standard of mastitis detection.