Evaluation of Bulk-Tank Culture for the Identification of Major Contagious Mastitis Pathogens on Dairy Farms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro19995502Keywords:
Bulk-tank milk, bacterial pathogens, culture results, cow-milk culturesAbstract
From May 1997 to December 1998, 40 Ontario dairy veterinarians and 60 dairy producers participated in the Sentinel Herd project. Composite milk samples from all lactating cows were collected and cultured every 4 months. Bulk-tank milk samples were collected from each farm on the day of the fourth herd culture. The objective of this analysis was to describe the prevalence of bacterial pathogens in the bulk-tank samples, the variability of culture results among the repeated samples, and the association of the bulk-tank culture results with the results of the corresponding cow-milk cultures.