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Effect of Pre-Milking Teat Foam Disinfection on the Prevention of New Mastitis Rates in Early Lactation
Fitzpatrick, Sarah Rose Garvey, Mary Flynn, Jim O’Brien, Bernadette Gleeson, David
Fitzpatrick, Sarah Rose
Garvey, Mary
Flynn, Jim
O’Brien, Bernadette
Gleeson, David
Date
2021-9-3
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Fitzpatrick, S.R.; Garvey, M.; Flynn, J.; O’Brien, B.; Gleeson, D. Effect of Pre-Milking Teat Foam Disinfection on the Prevention of New Mastitis Rates in Early Lactation. Animals 2021, 11, 2582. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092582
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the benefit of pre-milking teat foam disinfection on the prevention of new infections by contagious and environmental bacteria in two spring calving herds managed outdoors (Herd 1 [H1]; 331 cows and Herd 2 [H2]; 142 cows). Four pre-milking teat preparation treatments were applied post calving; with each herd receiving two treatments; using a split udder design (for approx. 15 weeks). These treatments included; (1) ‘water wash, foam application and dry wipe (WFD) in H1′; (2) ‘water wash and dry wipe (WD)’ in H1; (3) ‘foam application and dry wipe (FD)’ in H2; (4) ‘no teat cleaning preparation (NP)’ in H2. Individual quarter foremilk samples were collected on four occasions and all clinical and sub-clinical cases were recorded. The mean SCC of quarter foremilk samples was 134 × 103 cells/mL and 127 × 103 cells/mL for WD and WFD, respectively, and 109 × 103 cells/mL and 89 × 103 cells/mL for NP and FD, respectively (p > 0.05). Lower bacterial counts were observed on teat skin that received a foaming treatment. Pre-milking teat disinfection using a foaming product may be of little benefit, in early lactation, for a pasture-based dairy herd.