Bovine mastitis is known to cause serious economical losses, but few studies have been conducted on the epidemiological and economical aspects of this disease. Data obtained from 109 tie-stall dairy farms from Hokkaido and five prefectures in mainland Japan were used to analyze the association between farm management factors and bulk milk somatic cell counts. We also used the results of a cohort study to estimate the total economical losses due to clinical mastitis in Hokkaido.
Bulk milk somatic cell counts were found to be significantly lower in farms that always conduct post-dipping, frequently checked overmilking and maintained a low moisture content in cow bedding. The average economical losses due to clinical mastitis were estimated to be ¥1,490,000 for each farm, and the total losses in Hokkaido were estimated to be 10 billion yen.
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Reference:
- Yamane (2006) J. Jpn. Vet. Med. Assoc. 59 : 674-678.
- Yamane et al. (2006) J. Livestock Med. 53 : 399-407.
