Managing Mastitis in Bred Heifers

S.C. Nickerson, UGA, scn@uga.edu

Mastitis!
diminishes
yield/quality

Heifers:
Mastitis Calve with maximum
management
Goal: Improve yield
in heifers
milk &and
is part
quantity oflow
thisSCC
quality goal

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

 Mastitis in Heifers: Outline
• Prevalence of intramammary infection

• Treatment with antibiotics

Prevention:
• Use of teat seals to prevent new cases

• Horn fly control to ↓ spread

• Vaccination ↑ immunity

• Feed additives: improve animal health

 Young dairy heifers are
regarded as uninfected
Future milking herd!
(Also need an udder health program)
Mastitis is not noticed until freshening
or at the first clinical flare-up
during lactation.
>75% of heifers: subclinical mastitis
~20-30% of heifers: S. aureus
SCC >10 million/ml
(Few clinical symptoms)
Clinical Subclinical

Breeding age: 12-15 mo and older

 Heifers exposed to mastitis
bacteria at a young age

←Colonize
teats

Future milking herd!

Neonatal
Prepubertal
(Also need an udder health program)

Breeding age
Pregnant
2 - 2.5 yr (¼ - ½ lifetime!)
NO MASTITIS CONTROL ↓ MILK YIELD ↑ SCC!!!!!!!
 How do heifers get mastitis?
Intramammary infection

Teat

Bacteria

Staph.
aureus

Keratin plug
 Mammary quarter infection rate: 60%
Staph. aureus

40% 60%
uninfected infected

75% of heifers may be infected in 60% of quarters; Staph. aureus is a major problem.
All infections associated with elevated somatic cell counts (SCC). ↓ Yield!
 What happens inside an infected quarter?
Infected rear quarter Uninfected front quarter

Rear Front

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

Scar tissue formation in response to Staph. aureus

Reduced secretory potential

20,000 lb
10% less Lower yield during 1st
lactation
milk vs.
and spread to the lactating herd 22,000 lb
 Greatest development of
milk-producing tissues
is during 1st pregnancy

Protection from mastitis bacteria

Insure maximum milk production
If mastitis is suspected in heifers…
Infected
Lactating andquarters shouldinfusion
dry cow intramammary be treated
products
Dry cow product use in heifers
• Cefa-Dri Treat prior to 30
days prepartum
• Tomorrow (avoid residues)
• Dry-clox
• Albadry Plus
• Biodry
• Quartermaster
• Orbenin-DC
• Spectramast DC
 Dry cow therapy in heifers:

*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.

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

When is best time to treat?
Pregnancy checks

Hoof trimming

Moving to close-up lot;

run through chute/treat
Extra-label: Valid CPR
Lactating Cow Products
• Cefa-Lak ~14 days prepartum
Any sooner results in
• Today antibiotic residues

• Hetacin-K
• Albacillin
• Pirsue
• Amoxi-Mast
• Dariclox
• Spectramast LC
73% Holstein heifers infected 2 wk prepartum
Treated with:
Penicillin/novobiocin or Pirlimycin
Determined cures at calving:

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

Oliver et al., 2004

96% of Jersey heifers infected 2 wk prepartum
Treated with:
Penicillin/novobiocin or Pirlimycin
Determined cures at calving:

Albacillin:
Whether75% Treated
drycure heifers
rate;produced
Pirsue:
/ lactating 10% more
87%
products milk
cureare
rate
used, follow proper infusion method:
 Full Insertion:
Full Stretches sphincter
insertion Environ.
bacteria Dilates teat canal
Bacteria E. coli
Prototheca
Removes keratin
Nocardia
T. pyogenes
Yeast
Introduces bacteria

Partial Insertion:
Maintains integrity
Partial Minimizes bacterial
insertion
(2-3 mm) entry into the gland
Prevention…
Use of Internal Teat Sealants Prepartum:
4-fold reduction in clinical S. uberis
infections within 14 days of calving.

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

Teatseal®
Bismuth subnitrate/paraffin oil

Physical barrier
to Bacteria
 What about teat seal AND antibiotic?
Does the combination work
better than either alone
in dairy heifers?

1
3
2
4 30-60 d prepartum:
1. Untreated
2. Antibiotic DCT
3. Teat seal
4. DCT + teat seal

Results (n=38) at calving demonstrated….

 Cure rates and prevention rates for
untreated qtrs & qtrs treated with
120
DCT and/or teat seal in 38 heifers
b
100 100b a
96.2 a 96.2a a
100 92.8 93.1
ab
80 75
58.3a
60

40
SCC: 1,488,000 Ave SCC: 464,000 No differences among tmt
20 Why bother treating at all?

Cure rate Prevention rate

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

Infected
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:
←Gland cistern
1. Compress area at base
of teat with hand.

1. ←Teat cistern
2. Insert cannula using the
2.
partial insertion method

3. Slowly infuse contents

so seal remains in teat
If teat cistern is open to gland
cistern, and seal is jetted into
teat, it may be placed high in
the quarter and milk out for
days or weeks after calving.
 Role of fly control

Horn flies not only pester heifers by feasting on blood drawn from animals’ backs…
Flies also attack heifers’ teats, causing mastitis
Bred heifer
Horn fly
Haematobia irritans

Front teats

S. aureus-infected 3-month-old heifer

quarter
 Mastitis

Irritation and
scab formation

Horn flies live solely

on blood from cows.
Bacteria
Lifespan: 3-4 weeks
 Teat condition: a good barometer for fly control

Score 1 Score 2 Score 3

Healthy Mastitis Mastitis

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.

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
 Horn Fly Control?
• Use of pour-ons reduces fly populations
• (Every 2 wk – intensive)
 Pour-on

Insecticidal pour-on (Eprinex) +

ear tag (Patriot) reduced flies and
↓ Staph. aureus mastitis by 83%
over a 6-month period
 Insect Growth Regulators
(IGR; ClariFly® Larvacide)

IGR

Fly lays its eggs

Insect Growth Regulators

Reduction in fly population

Horn Fly
Eggs in

Life Cycle manure

Larvae consume IGR

Maggots Fly control:
Pupae - Pour-on
- Ear tags
- IGR
Larvacide (IGR)
Very effective
 Preventing mastitis by immunization

Increasing antibody
titers to prevent new
S. aureus infections

Lysigin, AKA
Somatostaph

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 Schedule
Semimembranosus

At 6-12 mo
14 days later
At 6-mo intervals
Pre-calving
Monitored level of S. aureus
mastitis after freshening
 Percentages of heifers freshening
with Staph. aureus infections.
40
Minimize spread to milking herd
Percentage of heifers with mastitis

35 34

30
Immunization: +....in heifers

25 60.9% Reduction
(P<0.001) Other options to
20 boost immunity....Diet/ration?
15 13.3
50% reduction in SCC
10

5 8.6% increase in prod.

0
Vaccinated Control
 Boosting Immune System:
Dietary Supplementation
Selenium
Vitamin E
Beta carotene
Vitamin A
Copper
Zinc
Weiss, 2002
Se & Vitamin E in heifers:
Promote leukocyte antibacterial activity
Supplementation 60 days prepartum ←Periparturient
Reduced staphylococcal and coliform mastitis at calving & lowered SCC
 Mastitis increases around time of calving
P Innate immunity: most important defense of the mammary gland
A
R Relies heavily on the bactericidal function of WBC migrating from the blood
T
U WBC function is compromised during the periods of immunosuppression: Cortisol
R
I If WBC function could be enhanced, cows could better resist mammary infection
T Enhancing WBC?
I Rate of new infection - Diet: Se + Vit E
O Periparturient - Diet: OmniGen?
N period
Period of 2-4 wk prepartum
Immunosuppression to 2 wk postpartum
(Cortisol) (Innate immunity suppressed)
Reduced neutrophil activity

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

Daily supplementation for 60 d prepartum; at calving:

1st calf heifers

Enhanced L-Selectin receptor activity on PMN and Monocytes
4g/100lb/day

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

Decreased free radical generation by PMN (Antioxidant?)

At calving:

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

Fewer new intramammary infections: no reduction in SCC

Concluded: Supplemented heifers calved healthier vs controls

Dietary supplements to boost immunity at calving: Beneficial

SUMMARY Future milking herd:

$Huge Investment$

Young calves Fly control

Vaccination
Pregnant Teat seal +/or
Dietary suppl.
All susceptible to mastitis!
• Need a prevention program Prevention
not 100%
• Need a treatment program
Goal Dry cow tmt/
Lact. cow tmt
• Freshen free of mastitis
Close-ups
• Low somatic cell counts
• Maximum milk production $$