Evaluation of an automated milk leukocyte differential test for detecting intramammary infection in early- and late-lactation quarters and cows

Abstract

The dairy industry must develop mastitis control practices that can use antimicrobials judiciously while maintaining or improving udder health. One opportunity is the adoption of selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) programs that treat only infected quarters or cows. Another approach may be to identify and apply selective treatment to infected quarters soon after calving. However, for such programs to be successful, we require on-farm tests with sufficient accuracy and utility to differentiate infected from uninfected quarters or cows. The objective of this study was to describe the diagnostic test characteristics of an automated milk leukocyte differential (MLD) test to identify intramammary infection (IMI) in early-lactation (EL) and late-lactation (LL) quarters and cows.