Managing Mastitis in Bred Heifers S.C. Nickerson, UGA, scn@uga.edu

Goal: Improve milk quantity & quality Mastitis management in heifers is part of this goal Heifers: Calve with maximum yield and low SCC

Mastitis!diminishes

yield/quality

Supported by USDA-NIFA Grant no. 2013-68004-20424

•Prevalence of intramammary infection

•Treatment with antibiotics

•Use of teat seals to prevent new cases

•Horn fly control to ↓ spread

•Vaccination ↑ immunity

•Feed additives: improve animal health

Mastitis in Heifers: Outline

Prevention:

Mastitis is not noticed until freshening or at the first clinical flare-up

during lactation.

Young dairy heifers areregarded as uninfectedFuture milking herd!(Also need an udder health program)

~20-30% of heifers: S. aureusSCC >10 million/ml

(Few clinical symptoms)

Breeding age: 12-15 mo and older

>75% of heifers: subclinical mastitis

Clinical Subclinical

Neonatal Prepubertal

Breeding agePregnant2 - 2.5 yr (¼ - ½ lifetime!)

NO MASTITIS CONTROL ↓ MILK YIELD ↑ SCC!!!!!!!

Future milking herd! (Also need an udder health program)

Heifers exposed to mastitis bacteria at a young age

←Colonize teats

Keratin plug

Intramammary infection

Bacteria

How do heifers get mastitis?

Teat

Staph. aureus

75% of heifers may be infected in 60% of quarters; Staph. aureus is a major problem.

Mammary quarter infection rate: 60%

All infections associated with elevated somatic cell counts (SCC).

Staph. aureus

40%uninfected

60%infected

↓ Yield!

Reduced secretory potential

Infected rear quarter Uninfected front quarter

Scar tissue formation in response to Staph. aureus

Lower yield during 1st lactationand spread to the lactating herd

Cross-section of a heifer’sudder infused w/ green dye

10% lessmilk

20,000 lbvs.

22,000 lb

What happens inside an infected quarter?

FrontRear

Greatest development of milk-producing tissuesis during 1st pregnancy

Protection from mastitis bacteriaInsure maximum milk production

Infected quarters should be treatedIf mastitis is suspected in heifers… Lactating and dry cow intramammary infusion products

Dry cow product use in heifers• Cefa-Dri• Tomorrow• Dry-clox• Albadry Plus• Biodry• Quartermaster• Orbenin-DC• Spectramast DC

Treat prior to 30 days prepartum(avoid residues)

Non-lactating cow

**Sanitize teat orifice, use partial insertion technique, dip teats

*Cure rate is 90 - 100% when treated during pregnancy.

*SCC significantly reduced 50% at calving vs. controls.

*Milk production increased by ~10% over the controls.

*Reduced spread of Staph. aureus to the lactating herd.

Dry cow therapy in heifers:

When is best time to treat?Pregnancy checks

Hoof trimming

Moving to close-up lot; run through chute/treatExtra-label: Valid CPR

Lactating Cow Products• Cefa-Lak• Today• Hetacin-K• Albacillin• Pirsue• Amoxi-Mast• Dariclox• Spectramast LC

~14 days prepartumAny sooner results in antibiotic residues

Lactating cow

73% Holstein heifers infected 2 wk prepartum Treated with:

Penicillin/novobiocin or PirlimycinDetermined cures at calving:

Oliver et al., 2004

Albacillin: 76% cure rate; Pirsue: 59% cure rate

96% of Jersey heifers infected 2 wk prepartumTreated with:

Penicillin/novobiocin or PirlimycinDetermined cures at calving:

Albacillin: 75% cure rate; Pirsue: 87% cure rateTreated heifers produced 10% more milk Whether dry / lactating products are used, follow proper infusion method:

Full Insertion: Stretches sphincter Dilates teat canal Removes keratin

Introduces bacteria

Partial Insertion: Maintains integrity Minimizes bacterial entry into the gland

Environ.bacteria

E. coliProtothecaNocardiaT. pyogenesYeast

Partial insertion(2-3 mm)

Fullinsertion

Bacteria

Prevention…

Use of Internal Teat Sealants Prepartum:

Physical barrier to Bacteria

• Bismuth/paraffin based • Infused 30 d prepartum• Removed at 1st milking Orbeseal™

Bismuth subnitrate/mineral oil

Teatseal®

Bismuth subnitrate/paraffin oil

4-fold reduction in clinical S. uberis infections within 14 days of calving.

What about teat seal AND antibiotic?Does the combination work

better than either alonein dairy heifers?

1.Untreated2.Antibiotic DCT 3.Teat seal4.DCT + teat seal

12 3

4

Results (n=38) at calving demonstrated….

30-60 d prepartum:

Cure rates and prevention rates for untreated qtrs & qtrs treated withDCT and/or teat seal in 38 heifers

Untreated

Antibiotic

Teatseal

Anti + seal

Untreated

Antibiotic

Teatseal

Anti + seal

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

58.3

100

75

100 96.2 92.8 96.2 93.1

Cure rate Prevention rate

a

b

ab

b a aaa

SCC: 1,488,000 Ave SCC: 464,000 No differences among tmtWhy bother treating at all?

3 out of 4 quarters (75%)may be infected

w/ bacteria

UninfectedInfected

Treat all quarters with 1) DCT to cure existing IMI &2) Teat seal to prevent the establishment of new IMI.Successful treatment will lower SCC at calving time.

Proper teat seal infusion:

1. Compress area at base of teat with hand.

2. Insert cannula using the partial insertion method

3. Slowly infuse contents so seal remains in teat

Teat seal

1.

2.

If teat cistern is open to glandcistern, and seal is jetted intoteat, it may be placed high inthe quarter and milk out for days or weeks after calving.

←Teat cistern

←Gland cistern

Horn flies not only pester heifers by feasting on blood drawn from animals’ backs…

Role of fly control

Horn flyHaematobia irritans

3-month-old heiferS. aureus-infected quarter

Bred heifer

Front teats

Flies also attack heifers’ teats, causing mastitis

Bacteria

Horn flies live solelyon blood from cows.Lifespan: 3-4 weeks

Capi

llary

Irritation andscab formation

Mastitis

Score 2Mastitis

Score 3Mastitis

Score 1Healthy

If heifers’ teat scores are not healthy (Score 1), then a fly problem exists,and teat lesions (Scores 2 and 3) are associated with mastitis.

Teat condition: a good barometer for fly control

Herds with fly control programs have healthier teats and less mastitis

Percentages of heifers with mastitis in herds with and without fly control

(Foggers, bait, pour-ons, dust, sprays, ear tags)

% of heifers

10-fold

• Use of pour-ons reduces fly populations• (Every 2 wk – intensive)

Horn Fly Control?

Insecticidal pour-on (Eprinex) +ear tag (Patriot) reduced flies and

↓ Staph. aureus mastitis by 83%over a 6-month period

Pour-on

IGR

Fly lays its eggs

Insect Growth Regulators(IGR; ClariFly® Larvacide)

Insect Growth Regulators

Horn FlyLife Cycle

Larvae consume IGR

Pupae

Larvacide (IGR)

Maggots

Eggs in manure

Eggs hatchFly control: - Pour-on - Ear tags - IGRVery effective

Reduction in fly population

Increasing antibodytiters to prevent newS. aureus infections

Lysigin, AKASomatostaph

Preventing mastitis by immunization

Can heifers be vaccinated against Staph. aureus mastitis?

James River Correctional Center

• 120-cow Holstein herd• 22,000 lb milk• Average SCC: 200,000/ml• ~20% S. aureus infection rate in heifers• Prevention of mastitis via vaccination?• 106 heifers 6-12 mo allotted to vaccinated

and control groups

(53 heifers/group)

Immunization ScheduleAt 6-12 mo14 days laterAt 6-mo intervalsPre-calving

Lysigin

Monitored level of S. aureusmastitis after freshening

Semimembranosus

Percentages of heifers freshening with Staph. aureus infections.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

13.3

34

Vaccinated Control

60.9% Reduction (P<0.001)

Perc

enta

ge o

f hei

fers

with

mas

titis

50% reduction in SCC

8.6% increase in prod.

Minimize spread to milking herd

Immunization: +....in heifers

Other options toboost immunity....Diet/ration?

Boosting Immune System:Dietary Supplementation

Selenium Vitamin EBeta caroteneVitamin ACopperZinc

Promote leukocyte antibacterial activity

Reduced staphylococcal and coliform mastitis at calving & lowered SCC

Se & Vitamin E in heifers:

Supplementation 60 days prepartum

Weiss, 2002

←Periparturient

Rate of new infection

LactationCalving

Periparturientperiod

Period ofImmunosuppression

(Cortisol)

2-4 wk prepartumto 2 wk postpartum

(Innate immunity suppressed)Reduced neutrophil activity

Mastitis increases around time of calvingInnate immunity: most important defense of the mammary gland

Relies heavily on the bactericidal function of WBC migrating from the blood

WBC function is compromised during the periods of immunosuppression: Cortisol

If WBC function could be enhanced, cows could better resist mammary infection Enhancing WBC? - Diet: Se + Vit E - Diet: OmniGen?

PARTURITION

OmniGen-AF® enhanced immune status & reduced mastitis at calving

Daily supplementation for 60 d prepartum; at calving:

Enhanced L-Selectin receptor activity on PMN and Monocytes

Increased phagocytosis of S. aureus and E. coli by leukocytes

Decreased free radical generation by PMN (Antioxidant?)

Fewer health events (RP, DA, ketosis, udder edema, death)

Fewer new intramammary infections: no reduction in SCC

At calving:

1st calf heifers4g/100lb/day

Concluded: Supplemented heifers calved healthier vs controls

Dietary supplements to boost immunity at calving: Beneficial

Young calves

Pregnant

Close-ups

All susceptible to mastitis!• Need a prevention program • Need a treatment program

• Freshen free of mastitis • Low somatic cell counts• Maximum milk production $$

Goal

Fly controlVaccinationTeat seal +/orDietary suppl.

Dry cow tmt/ Lact. cow tmt

Future milking herd:

Preventionnot 100%

SUMMARY

$Huge Investment$