Vergelijking van twee California Mastitis Testen met de elektronische celgetalbepaling voor de detectie van intramammaire infecties in mengmelkstalen van melkvee

In dairy cattle, the milk somatic cell count is the most widely accepted indicator for the presence of intramammary infections. The aim of this study was to compare the results of the electronic cell counting on 179 composite milk samples with the results of two commercially available California Mastitis Tests (CMT), based on either the thickening of the solution or the thickening of the solution in combination with a color change. The most frequently isolated major pathogens in the milk samples were Streptococcus uberis and Staphylococcus aureus and the minor pathogens most isolated were the non-aureus staphylococci. The somatic cell count estimated with the CMT-tests corresponded well with the one obtained with the Fossomatic (TM). For both CMT-tests, the test characteristics were mutually comparable as well as with the one obtained with the electronic cell counting. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that both CMT-tests can be used in the field to help detect cows suffering from an intramammary infection due to major pathogens.