SUBCLINICAL MASTITIS - REQUIREMENTS FOR FLOCK THERAPY - BACTERIOLOGICAL RESULTS OF PERACEF(R)-TREATMENT IN SUBCLINICAL MASTITIS IN SEVERAL REGIONS OF GERMANY

On January 1st, 1993 the requirements for milk quality were strengthen ed by a new regulation in Germany. Many dairy farms are not able to me et the new criteria for somatic cell counts (less-than-or-equal-to 400 000/ml) in the milk yield. Management failures seem to be the main re ason for high somatic cell counts. Nevertheless, antibiotic treatment of the udder is still the mostly used therapy to lower somatic cell co unts in dairy farms. Without fundamental management changes antibiotic treatment cannot be successful. In this study the new intramammary su spension Peracef(R) (100mg Cefoperazone) was used for the treatment of cases of subclinical mastitis. Diagnosis of subclinical mastitis was confirmed by somatic milk cell counts (California Mastitis Test) and b acteriological examination of milk samples prior to treatment. Infeste d quarters were twice treated with one syringe of Peracef(R). Fourteen days after treatment 44,3% of the treated quarters proved to be bacte riologically negative. 31% of the treated quarters proved to be both, bacteriologically negative as well as low in average somatic cell coun ts (CMT). Taking into consideration that the treatment of single anima ls is initiated without checking and changing of management, these res ults are conform with results of other published studies on subclinica l mastitis. As long as personal and management failures are not change d fundamentally single antibiotic treatment is definitely useless to c ure subclinical mastitis. It seems to be necessary to consult speciali sts to find and abolish mismanagement in feeding, keeping and milking of dairy herds. This is the only way to solve subclinical mastitis pro blems in dairy herds and lead to an economical improvement of the farm .