Relationship of milk proteins in blood with somatic cell counts in milk of dairy cows

Intramammary leucocytosis was induced by injection of Escherichia coli endotoxin via the teat canal in three lactating Holstein cows. Concentrations of alpha-lactalbumin and casein in blood serum were measured, and somatic cell concentration and yield and composition of milk were determined. Endotoxin injection elicited mean increases of 100-fold in somatic cell concentration and 50% in protein concentration, whereas milk yield declined 5-fold and lactose concentration was halved. Concentrations of alpha-lactalbumin and casein in blood rose from 80 to 1909 and 0 to 1231 ng/ml, respectively. By 96 h postinjection, all variables were approximately equal to those preinjection. In a second study, concentration of alpha-lactalbumin was determined in blood of lactating cows in two herds (n = 332) and related to milk somatic cell count. Concentrations of alpha-lactalbumin in blood were correlated with somatic cell counts (r = .60). Mean concentrations of alpha-lactalbumin increased with increasing cell count even at low somatic cell concentrations (25 to 250 X 10(3)). Concentrations of milk proteins in blood serum apparently reflect competency of the blood-milk barrier and may therefore yield an indirect measure of udder health.     

Effect of mastitis treatment and somatic cell counts on milk yield in Danish organic dairy cows

Production and disease data from 17,488 lactations in 48 Danish organic dairy herds from 1997 to 2001 were analyzed to obtain estimates on the effect of somatic cell counts (SCC) and mastitis treatment on milk production. A multilevel three-parameter piecewise random coefficients linear model with energy-corrected milk (ECM) as dependent variable and herd, lactation, and test days as levels, was used to model the lactation curve. Covariates related to production, SCC, veterinary treatments, and reproductive performance in the previous lactation as well as information on other diseases in the current lactation were included to describe the production capacity of the individual cow. The average daily milk production at herd level was 20.8, 24.2, and 25.8 kg of ECM/d in first, second, and third or later lactation. The estimates for production losses were on average 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 kg of ECM/d in first, second, and third or later lactation with each twofold increase in SCC between 100,000 and 1,500,000 cells/ml. The effect varied with the stage of lactation and was nonsignificant around 60 d postpartum and highest at the end of the lactation. The production losses in cows treated for mastitis varied with parity and stage of lactation and were modified by the SCC after treatment. For a cow in third lactation with a SCC below 100,000 cells/ ml before treatment at days in milk = 15, the predicted loss was 435 kg of ECM, including a loss of 135 kg of ECM because of higher SCC compared with the level before treatment. Most of the variation in production related to SCC and mastitis was at the lactation level, and no significant differences were found between herds grouped according to milk production level, SCC, or prevalence of mastitis treatment.     

Relationships between milk culture results and composite milk somatic cell counts in Norwegian dairy cattle

Associations between test-day composite milk somatic cell counts (CMSCC) and results from quarter milk cultures for various pathogens associated with mastitis, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), were investigated. S. aureus was dichotomized according to sparse (≤1,500 colony forming units/mL of milk) or rich (>1,500 colony forming units/mL of milk) growth of the bacteria. Quarter milk samples were obtained on between 1 and 4 occasions from 2,714 cows in 354 Norwegian dairy herds, resulting in a total of 3,396 samples. Cows included in the study were randomly selected, without regard to current or previous udder health status. Measures of test-day CMSCC were obtained every second month, and related to 3528 microbiological diagnoses at the cow level. Mixed linear regression models incorporating a compound symmetry covariance structure accounting for repeated test-day CMSCC within cow, and a random effect variable on herd level, was used to quantify the relationship between a positive milk culture and the natural logarithm of test-day CMSCC (LnCMSCC). The material was stratified in time periods before 151 d in milk (DIM) and after 150 DIM. A positive diagnosis for any category of mastitis pathogen was significantly associated with elevated CMSCC. Pathogen positive cows sampled for microbiological diagnosis during the first 150 DIM had higher levels of CMSCC throughout lactation than cows with a positive diagnosis after 150 DIM. Streptococcus spp.-positive milk cultures were associated with steadily elevated values for CMSCC throughout lactation both when sampled before and after 150 DIM. Cows diagnosed with rich growth of S. aureus after 150 DIM experienced a characteristic and sharp increase in CMSCC, but this effect was not observed in cows with a positive diagnosis for rich growth of S. aureus during the first 150 DIM. A considerable increase in CMSCC in cows positive for CNS during the first part of the lactation period was also observed. The practicability of using CMSCC in a diagnostic test to identify cows with a positive milk culture for mastitis pathogens was also assessed. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values of the tests were regarded as low when sampling for milk culture was conducted, irrespective of cow level characteristics.     

Metabolites and immune variables associated with somatic cell counts of primiparous dairy cows

The main objective of this study was to investigate associations between serum concentrations of several blood variables related to metabolic and immunological status around calving, and udder health measured as milk somatic cell counts (SCC), Box-Cox transformed to bcSCC, at first test-milking in 287 primiparous cows in 20 Swedish dairy herds. Possible systematic effects of breed and age at calving on blood profiles were also investigated. Ordinary linear regression models, with robust standard errors and adjusting for clustering within herds, were used to investigate associations between blood variables and bcSCC. Hierarchical linear regression models, with herd as random factor, were used to investigate systematic effects on blood variables. The results showed that greater concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) and glucose before calving were associated with lesser bcSCC at first test-milking, whereas greater concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) before calving and greater delta NEFA (describing the difference in concentrations before and after calving) were associated with greater bcSCC at first test-milking. In addition, greater α-tocopherol concentrations in the period −5 to +5 d relative to calving were associated with lesser bcSCC at first test-milking, whereas greater concentrations of collectin of 43 kDa (CL-43) postpartum (1 to 21 d after calving) were associated with greater bcSCC. Postpartum concentrations of conglutinin and haptoglobin were also associated with bcSCC, but not independently of each other. Moreover, significant breed differences were observed for insulin, urea nitrogen, conglutinin, cholesterol, NEFA, and CL-43, the latter 3 as an interaction with period. Overall, cows of the Swedish Red breed had greater concentrations of insulin, cholesterol, urea nitrogen, and conglutinin, and lesser concentrations of NEFA and CL-43 than cows of the Swedish Holstein breed. Age at calving as main effect was significantly associated with BHBA, glucose, insulin, NEFA, urea nitrogen, and conglutinin. Heifers calving at >27 mo of age had greater BHBA and NEFA values, and lesser glucose, insulin, and urea nitrogen values compared with heifers calving at <27 mo. Heifers calving at an age <25 mo had greater conglutinin and urea nitrogen values, and lesser NEFA values compared with heifers calving at >25 mo. The results show that there are several associations among metabolites, immunological variables, and udder health of primiparous cows, but also that these variables vary between breeds and between cows of different age at first calving.     

Effect of intramammary device on new infection rate, milk yield, and milk somatic cell counts in maryland dairy herds

Effectiveness of a polyethylene intramammary device against naturally occurring infections was evaluated in three Maryland herds over 2 yr. Treated cows [62] were fitted with intramammary devices in all quarters of udders. Control cows [62] were sham treated. Rates of new intramammary infection over single lactation in treated and control quarters of primiparous cows averaged 18 and 27%. Reduction of infection rate was due primarily to fewer Corynebacterium bovis infections. Infection rate between multiparous cow treatments were similar. In uninfected quarters cell counts in strippings averaged .11 to .13 X 10(6)/ml and in quarters fitted with intramammary devices concentrations were only .22 to .31 X 10(6) cells/ml. But in infected quarters with intramammary devices, cell counts of strippings were 1.38 to 1.48 X 10(6)/ml. Concentrations of somatic cells of strippings in infected quarters without devices averaged .48 to .63 X 10(6)/ml. Dairy herd improvement cell counts for primiparous and multiparous cows with and without intramammary devices were similar and averaged .2 X 10(6)/ml. Neither milk nor fat production differed. The intramammary device as currently designed is incapable of stimulating a leukocytosis sufficient in stripping milk to prevent intramammary infection.     

Bulk milk somatic cell counts are related to bulk milk total bacterial counts and several herd-level risk factors in dairy goats

The aim of this study was to describe the temporal variation in bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) on Dutch dairy goat farms and to assess the correlation of BMSCC with bulk milk total bacterial counts (BMTBC) and with several herd management factors. Bulk milk somatic cell count and BMTBC data were recorded from 90% of the dairy goat farms in the Netherlands over the years 2005 to 2007. Farm characteristics and management information was collected by means of questionnaires. The bulk milk data and the questionnaire data were linked and linear mixed models were used to identify risk factors for increased BMSCC and BMTBC. Bulk milk somatic cell count was found to display a distinct pattern throughout the year, being highest around December and lowest around June. Bulk milk somatic cell count correlated to BMTBC (r = 0.4). Significant factors in the BMSCC model were month in lactation, treating mastitic animals instead of culling, caprine arthritis encephalitis status, milk fever prevalence, and liner material. Month in lactation and treating mastitic animals instead of culling were also significant in the BMTBC model. In the high-BMSCC period, a higher number of goats with an extended lactation significantly reduced the BMSCC. Thus, this study indicates that mastitis-related factors account for some of the variation in BMSCC and BMTBC levels between dairy goat herds. It shows that intramammary infection is probably the most important factor driving the correlation between BMSCC and BMTBC, suggesting that programs to improve udder health may have a positive effect on both BMSCC and BMTBC.     

Lactoperoxidase activity in milk is correlated with somatic cell count in dairy cows

Lactoperoxidase (LPO) is a milk protein with antimicrobial function. The present study was undertaken to examine the correlation between LPO activity and somatic cell count (SCC) in milk to use LPO activity as an indicator of mastitis. Composite milk of 36 cows and quarter milk of 3 cows were collected once per week from 0 to 300 d postpartum and twice per day for 1 wk, respectively. For the measurement of LPO activity, milk was mixed with tetramethylbenzidine solution and incubated at 37°C for 30 min, followed by the measurement of optical density. When only milk with low SCC (132 ± 12 × 10³ cells/mL) was used, a significant decrease in LPO activity was detected in primiparous cows from 0 to 4 mo postpartum. Lactoperoxidase activities of primiparous cows in mo 1, 2, and 3 postpartum were significantly higher than those in multiparous cows. When composite milk was divided based on LPO activity, the SCC was significantly higher in the groups with LPO activity >5 and from 3 to 3.9 U/mL in the second- and fourth-parity cows, respectively, compared with the group with LPO activity <2 U/mL. Extremely high SCC were found in the ≥fifth-parity cows, even in low-LPO activity groups. In the case of quarter milk, higher LPO activity was associated with increased SCC in all 3 cows. The percentage of quarter milk samples with high SCC (4,062 ± 415 × 10³ cells/mL) increased with an increase in the LPO activity. The percentage of quarter milk samples with high SCC was 50.0 to 100% in the milk with LPO activity ≥5 U/mL. These results indicate that the correlation of LPO activity to the SCC in bovine milk may point to the potential use of the former as an indicator of SCC.     

牛乳体细胞数与稳定性关系的研究

对某牧场30头荷斯坦奶牛的200个奶样进行体细胞数、酒精稳定性和热稳定性的测定。结果表明,所采样本的平均体细胞数为87×104cfu/mL,标准差为147×104cfu/mL,不服从正态分布;随着牛乳体细胞数升高,酒精稳定性随之降低;不同的体细胞组间,牛乳热稳定性随着SCC的升高而降低,组间有极显著差异(P<0.001)。     

Associations of somatic cell count with milk yield and reproductive performance in grazing dairy cows

Poor udder health status can have a detrimental effect on milk yield and reproductive performance, leading to reductions in the dairy farm profit. The objective of this retrospective longitudinal study was to assess the associations of somatic cell count (SCC) with daily milk yield and reproductive performance. A database with 1,930,376 lactations from 867 Argentinean grazing dairy herds records collected for 14 years was used. The association of the evolution of SCC (healthy vs. new case vs. cured vs. chronic; with 150,000 SCC/mL as threshold) and of the severity of SCC [mild (150,000­–400,000 SCC/mL) vs. moderate (400,000–1,000,000 SCC/mL) vs. severe (>1,000,000 SCC/mL)] with the odds for conception were estimated. Finally, the associations of the linear score of SCC (LS-SCC) with daily milk yield were estimated depending on parity and milk production quartile. The odds ratios (CI 95%) for conception at first service were 0.921 (0.902–0.941), 0.866 (0.848–0.884), and 0.842 (0.826–0.859) for the new case, cured, and chronic cows compared with healthy cows, respectively. Also, the odds ratios (CI 95%) for conception were 0.902 (0.881–0.925), 0.837 (0.808–0.866) and 0.709 (0.683–0.736) for mild, moderate and severe cases compared with healthy cows, respectively. An increase of one point of LS-SCC was associated with decreases of 0.349, 0.539, and 0.676 kg in daily milk yield for first-, second-, and third-lactation cows, respectively. In conclusion, SCC is negatively associated with the risk for conception and with daily milk yield in grazing dairy cows. This negative relationship with conception is higher when SCC increase occurs after the service date and it is influenced by severity of mastitis, and in the case of milk yield, the negative association is influenced by parity, milk production quartile, and severity of mastitis.     

Association of paratuberculosis sero-status with milk production and somatic cell counts across 5 lactations,using multilevel mixed models,in dairy cows

The aim of this work was to investigate associations between individual cow Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) seropositivity, 305-d corrected milk production, and somatic cell count during 5 lactations lifespan in Portuguese dairy herds using multilevel mixed models. We used MAP serum ELISA (Idexx MAP Ac, Idexx Laboratories Inc., Westbrook, ME) results (n = 23,960) from all the 20,221 adult cows present in 329 farms and corresponding 47,586 lactation records from the National Dairy Improvement Association. Cows and farms were classified as positive or negative. Multilevel mixed models were used to investigate the association of cow MAP status with variation in milk production and somatic cell count. Cow MAP status, farm status, and lactation number were considered as independent variables. A quadratic function of lactation number was used to mimic the effect of lactation order on milk production. The models considered 3 levels: measurement occasion (level 1) within cow (level 2) and cow within farm (level 3). Four final models were produced, including all herds and cows, to address the effect of farm status (models 1 and 2) or the effect of cow status (models 3 and 4) on the outcome variables. Our results show that MAP status affects milk production. Losses are detectable from third lactation onward. During the first 5 lactations, positive cows accumulated an average loss of 1,284.8 kg of milk when compared with the negative cows. We also observed that somatic cell counts were higher in positive cows and a positive interaction occurs between cow status and lactation number, suggesting a positive association between MAP infection and increased somatic cell counts. Our results are in line with previous studies, suggesting a possible positive relation between cow milk production and susceptibility to MAP infection.     

Effect of high somatic cell counts on reproductive performance of Chilean dairy cattle

The objectives were to evaluate the effect of high linear somatic cell counts (LNSCC ≥4.5) during early lactation on reproductive performance and to estimate their association with the risk of abortion in a population of central-southern Chilean dairy cattle. The analysis included records from a population of 157 farms and considered 1,127,405 test-day records including 101,944 lactations that began between 1997 and 2006. After data edits, the analyses of calving to first service and calving to conception intervals consisted of 88,633 and 70,877 lactations, respectively. Once controlling for significant variables, time to first breeding was 21.8 d longer in cows with at least 1 high LNSCC before the first breeding compared with controls. Cows with at least 1 high LNSCC before the fertile breeding had an increment in time to conception of 48.7 d and required, on average, 0.49 more services to conceive. The odds of conception at first service in cows with a high LNSCC within 30 d before [after] breeding were 0.85 (0.81 to 0.89; 95% confidence interval) [0.82 (0.78 to 0.87; 95% confidence interval)] times the odds of conception for cows without a high LNSCC during that period. The Cox proportional hazard model indicated that after correction by calving year, lactation number, and milk yield standardized to 305 d, the risk of pregnancy decreased by 44% if a high LNSCC occurred before breeding. Cows registering a high LNSCC during the first 90 d of gestation had an increased risk of abortion, being 1.22 (1.07 to 1.35; 95% confidence interval) times more likely to abort than nonaffected cows. It is concluded that subclinical mastitis, measured as LNSCC ≥4.5, had a significant effect on reproductive performance in Chilean dairy cattle.     

Population dynamics of bulk milk somatic cell counts

The population dynamics for bulk milk SCC in 27,000 Dutch dairy farms was studied over 6 yr; SCC declined markedly in 1984 and 1985. This coincided with the introduction of the quota system in the European Community. The CV of SCC was .36, ranging from .15 to .89. Month of year had a significant effect on SCC with the highest SCC in October and the lowest in April. The dynamics of the annual SCC were modeled with a state transition model. Farmers managing herds with a fairly low SCC (less than 450,000) had a reasonable chance to remain in these states. Herds with a higher annual SCC were much more variable. The model simulated, the potential reactions of the farmers to the decrease of the SCC limit from 750,000 to 500,000 starting January 1, 1989. The simulations showed a further decrease in mean annual SCC, although the number of farms in the category with a very low SCC (less than 150,000) is not likely to increase. In all simulations an increased number of farmers will receive a penalty due to the more strict regulations of the European Community.     

牛乳体细胞数与乳蛋白含量相关性的研究

对呼和浩特郊区一牧场30头荷斯坦乳牛进行6个月单个采样，共得427个有效样本，检测乳样中体细胞数、酪蛋白（包括α-酪蛋白、β-酪蛋白、κ-酪蛋白）、乳清蛋白、总蛋白、游离氨基氮、酪蛋白／总蛋白和乳清蛋白／总蛋白。结果表明，乳中总蛋白、游离氨基氮含量及乳清蛋白／总蛋白与SCC呈显著正相关；酪蛋白／总蛋白与SCC呈显著负相关；乳清蛋白含量与SCC呈极显著正相关。酪蛋白、α-酪蛋白／酪蛋白、β-酪蛋白／酪蛋白、κ-酪蛋白／酪蛋白与SCC的相关性不显著。酪蛋白含量与总蛋白含量呈极显著的正相关，与游离氨基氮含量、乳清蛋白／总蛋白呈极显著的负相关。乳清蛋白含量与游离氨基氮、总蛋白含量呈极显著正相关。     

Distribution of leucocyte populations, and milk composition, in milk fractions of healthy quarters in dairy cows

The goal of the study was to evaluate the composition of leucocyte populations in different milk fractions as a basis on which to judge their possible role in the immune response in different compartments of the udder. The milk of one healthy quarter of nine dairy cows (SCC/quarter 相似文献   

Effect of subclinical intramammary infection on somatic cell counts and chemical composition of goats' milk

We investigated effects of subclinical intramammary infection (IMI) on milk somatic cell count (SCC) and milk composition in udder halves of dairy goats. A total of 35 mixed-age Alpine does (70 udder halves; approximately 55 kg body weight) were rotationally grazed on a mixture of vegetative forages (wheat/berseem clover, sudan grass and cowpeas). Milk samples for bacterial analysis and SCC were collected monthly from both halves from April to September, 2001. Across stages of lactation, 19-31% of udder halves became infected. The prevalence of IMI exhibited quadratic patterns through multi-peaked responses within each stage of lactation. Higher rates of IMI were observed during the early stage of lactation (19% in May) and in the late stage of lactation (31% in September). Coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CNS, 43.7%), Staph. aureus (35.4%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.4%) were the most prevalent pathogens. Within single-strain IMI, log SCC (6.24) was lower (P<0.01) for CNS than those derived from IMI by Staph. aureus (6.49), Ps. aeruginosa (6.53) or Serratia spp. (6.90). Infected udder halves had a higher average SCC (4761 v. 2259 x 10(3) cells/ml; P<0.01) than uninfected halves, but uninfected halves often had similar levels of SCC to infected halves. Daily average milk production was not significantly different between infected and non-infected goats and the relationship between IMI and SCC was not always correlated. Effective mastitis screening requires bacteriological culture since SCC was not highly correlated.     

Improved bioluminescent assay of somatic cell counts in raw milk

Somatic cell count (SCC) in milk is considered to be a valuable indicator of cow mastitis. For assessment of SCC in milk, the bioluminescent assay based on determination of ATP from somatic cells ([ATPsom]) in milk was proposed earlier. However, this assay is still not widely used in practice owing to lower reliability compared with conventional methods such as direct microscopy and flow cytometry. We revised the bioluminescent SCC assay and developed a simple protocol based on determination of the total non-bacterial ATP concentration in milk. It was shown that the novel ATP-releasing agent Neonol-10 (oxy-ethylated iso-nonyl phenol) has superior performance providing 100% lysis of somatic cells while not disrupting bacterial cells of milk at a concentration of 1.5% w/w. There was high correlation (R2=0.99) between measured bioluminescence and SCC as measured by direct microscopy. The observed detection limit of the bioluminescent milk SCC assay was as low as 900 cell/ml, time of analysis was 2-3 min per sample. The proposed method has high potential for on-site mastitis diagnostics.     

Effect of mastitis on milk perchlorate concentrations in dairy cows

Recent surveys have identified the presence of perchlorate, a natural compound and environmental contaminant, in forages and dairy milk. The ingestion of perchlorate is of concern because of its ability to competitively inhibit iodide uptake by the thyroid and to impair synthesis of thyroid hormones. A recent study established that milk perchlorate concentrations in cattle highly correlate with perchlorate intake. However, there is evidence that up to 80% of dietary perchlorate is metabolized in clinically healthy cows, thereby restricting the available transfer of ingested perchlorate into milk. The influence of mastitis on milk perchlorate levels, where there is an increase in mammary vascular permeability and an influx of blood-derived components into milk, remains unknown. The present study examined the effect of experimentally induced mastitis on milk perchlorate levels in cows receiving normal and perchlorate-supplemented diets. Over a 12-d period, cows were ruminally infused with 1 L/d of water or water containing 8 mg of perchlorate. Five days after the initiation of ruminal infusions, experimental mastitis was induced by the intramammary infusion of 100 μg of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Contralateral quarters infused with phosphate-buffered saline served as controls. A significant reduction in milk perchlorate concentration was observed in the LPS-challenged glands of animals ruminally infused with either water or perchlorate. In control glands, milk perchlorate concentrations remained constant throughout the study. A strong negative correlation was identified between mammary vascular permeability and milk perchlorate concentrations in LPS-infused glands. These findings, in the context of a recently published study, suggest that an active transport process is operative in the establishment of a perchlorate concentration gradient across the blood-mammary gland interface, and that increases in mammary epithelial and vascular endothelial permeability lead to a net outflow of milk perchlorate. The overall finding that mastitis results in lower milk perchlorate concentrations suggests that changes in udder health do not necessitate increased screening of milk for perchlorate.     

Effect of dry-off management on milking behavior,milk yield,and somatic cell count of dairy cows milked in automated milking systems

Milk production may be reduced before dry-off to decrease the risk of cows developing intramammary infections during the dry period. Such reductions in milk may be possible in automated milking systems (AMS) where milking frequency and feed allocation at the AMS can be controlled at the cow level. This study investigated the effect of dry-off management of cows milked in AMS on milk yield, milking behavior, and somatic cell count (SCC). Using a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments, applied from d 14 to 1 before dry-off, 445 cows from 5 commercial dairy farms in Quebec, Canada, were assigned within farm to either (1) reduced feed [RF; allowed a maximum of 0.75 kg/d of AMS pellet for the first week (14 to 8 d before dry-off) of treatment, and 0.50 kg/d for the second week (7 to 1 d before dry-off) of treatment], or (2) nonreduced feed (NF; allowed up to 2 kg/d of AMS pellet), and either (1) reduced milking (RM; reduced to 2 milkings/d or as many times as required to yield 17 kg/milking), or (2) nonreduced milking (NM; allowed up to 6 AMS milkings/d) and no maximum production. Feed and milking behavior data, as well as milk yield and SCC were collected from the AMS software. The RF cows had lower AMS feed delivered during the treatment period, as per the experimental design. Across the treatment period, the NF-NM cows had the highest milking frequency (2.7 times/d), followed by the RF-NM cows (2.4 times/d), and then both of the RM groups (1.8 times/d), which did not differ from each other. All cows, except the NF-NM cows, were gradually milked less frequently as dry-off approached. Across the entire 2-wk treatment period before dry-off, cows with RM allowance experienced a higher reduction in milk yield compared with the cows with no milking allowance restrictions (?4.8 vs. ?3.6 kg). Similarly, cows with a RF allocation tended to have a higher reduction in milk yield than cows with NF (?4.6 vs. ?3.7 kg). As result, those cows with both reduced milking permissions and feed allocation at the AMS experienced the greatest drop in milk production before dry-off. There were no differences between treatments for milking frequency or yield in the next lactation. Somatic cell score (calculated from SCC) was not different between treatments in the 2-wk or day before dry-off, nor in the first month after calving. Overall, these data suggest that reducing both milking frequency and feed quantity in the AMS is the most efficient method to decrease milk yield before dry-off, without negatively influencing milking frequency or yield in the next lactation, as well as without affecting milk quality.     

Effect of a synthetic corticoid on milk yield and composition and on blood metabolites and hormones in dairy cows.

Twenty-five dairy cows were assigned randomly by breed to flumethasone treatment (10 mug/day, 13 cows) or placebo control (12 cows) from 4 to 44 wk of lactation. Lactation means and trends with stage of lactation were treatment responses. Mean milk yields of cows supplemented with flumethasone were not significantly different from controls. Mean metabolite (glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, and total esterified fatty acids) and hormone concentrations (corticoids, insulin, and prolactin) of blood plasma and their trends throughout lactation were unaffected by supplementation. Data were pooled to determine effects of stage of lactation, temperature, pregnancy, and month on these variables. Changes during lactation were systematic for feed intake, body weight, milk yield, milk components except somatic cells, blood metabolites, and prolactin. At environmental temperatures above 18 C, effects were consistently negative for milk yield and composition, but only above 26 C for feed intake. Prolactin of plasma increased with increasing temperature to 18.2 C and then decreased. No other plasma metabolite or hormone was affected by days pregnant, age, or temperature. Months affected feed intake, milk yield, milk fat percentages, all blood metabolites, and prolactin. Prolactin concentrations increased as daylight hours increased. Our inability to augment established lactation by feeding a supplement of synthetic glucocorticoid to lactating cows is consistent with the view that a lack of avialable corticoids does not limit persistency of lactation in the cow.