Climatic effects on occurrence of clinical mastitis

Clinical mastitis records for 6.5 yr from a large north Florida dairy and corresponding daily weather data were analyzed. Monthly incidence of clinical mastitis was expressed as percent of cow-days in milk and graphed against monthly average daily maximum temperature humidity index values and monthly total rainfall. No trends were evident with rainfall. In 3 of 6 yr, monthly incidence of clinical mastitis increased more than 50% above annual incidence, and this followed high monthly temperature-humidity values. Least squares was used to estimate regression coefficients of temperature-humidity index categories based on 999,969 Holstein records. A temperature humidity index category represented the number of days used to calculate average daily maximum temperature-humidity index value. Sources of variation in observed occurrence of clinical mastitis were cow, parity, month, year, interaction of parity by month, and continuous effects of temperature-humidity index categories 2, 6, 15, 30, 60, each to third order and 60 by parity interaction. In all temperature-humidity index categories as the temperature-humidity index value increased, occurrence of clinical mastitis increased. When values rose from 55 to 80, twice as many for 2 d cows showed signs of clinical mastitis.