Research Article

Occurrence of mastitis in Polish Holstein-Friesian Black-and-White cows of different age and milk production capacity and its effect on the cytological quality of milk and the course of lactation

Danuta Borkowska, Ewa Januś, Anna Gajewska

1. Acta Sci. Pol. Zootechnica, 12(1), 2013, 11‒20

Abstract. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of age and milk production capacity of cows in standard lactation on the frequency of lactations with noted cases of mastitis. The effect of occurrence of mastitis on somatic cell count in milk and on the course of lactation was also determined. The study was carried out in a herd of Polish Holstein-Friesian cows with production capacity > 8000 kg milk. The study included 496 lactations and 5405 results from test-day milking. Both lactation number and milk production level were found to affect the frequency of mastitis. Lactations in which mastitis occurred at least once between calving and the dry period were noted more frequently in multiparous cows than in primiparous cows. Udder health status significantly affected the somatic cell count in milk. Occurrence of mastitis did not affect the course of lactation of cows with low or average milk production capacity. Higher daily milk yield over the course of lactations with mastitis in cows with the highest production potential suggests that highly productive cows are most susceptible to mastitis.

Keywords: health state of the udder, lactation, multiparous cows, primiparous cows, somatic cell count