448. Machine milking rate and mastitis

Abstract

It is generally accepted that the udder possesses two main defence mechanisms against mastitis infections. The teat sphincter acts as a barrier against the entry of the pathogenic frequently present on the skin of the teats, and internal factors prevent the bacteria which gain access from setting up an infection. In recent years studies have been made on the relative importance of these two mechanisms, and particular attention has been paid to the relation of teat patency or ease of milking with the incidence of disease. Little (1) stressed the importance of the intact sphincter as a barrier, and suggested that the sphincters of older cows relax, making them more susceptible to infection. In an attempt to overcome the disadvantages of the manual assessment of teat patency, Espe & Cannon (2) used a special instrument. The results were not wholly satisfactory and no correlation with mastitis was found. More recently, Murphy (3) manually examined the teats of at least eighty-seven cows and found a trend towards a higher incidence of infection in quarters with patent teats. This latter author did not agree that relaxing of the teat sphincters with advance in age could account for the increased susceptibility of older cows to streptococcal mastitis (4). While Murnane (5) could not confirm Murphy's results, McEwan & Cooper (6), again using the manual method, obtained further evidence definitely suggesting that easy milking cows were more prone to mastitis. Although Stuart & Lancaster (7) found evidence confirming the importance of the teat orifice, they concluded that it was of less importance than those factors operating within the udder.