EXPERIENCES ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN IN TRAMAMMARY INFUSION WITHOUTCONTAINING ANTIBIOTICS .2. OBSERVATIONS ON THE JUDGMENT OF DIAGNOSTIC-VALUE OF CERTAIN NEWER MASTITIS MARKERS

As a part of a pharmacotherapeutical trial, trends of certain mastitis markers was studied in udder quarters (n = 177) showing clinical symp toms of an acute mastitis. Besides the clinical examination, milk samp les were collected for bacteriological investigation, for the determin ation of somatic cell counts (SCC), N-acetyl-beta-D-glycoseaminidase ( NAGase) and antitrypsin (ATR) activities, bovine serum albumin (BSA) a nd Cl- concentrations before the first treatment (basic sample), as we ll as 17 to 24 days following the last treatment (control sample). Bas ed on the clinical and bacteriological states recorded during the cont rol investigations and on the SCC, 6 groups were established (recovere d, latently infected, subclinical mastitis: bacteriologically positive and negative, as well as clinical mastitis: bacteriologically positiv e and negative, Table 1). As compared to the basic samples, all parame ters decreased in case of recovered, as well as in cases abated latent infection or subclinical mastitis at the time of control (Tables 2 to 7). Comparing the control samples of each categories, characteristic differences were found in case of the NAGase activity, indicating the grade of cytodamaging effect that showed correlation also with the bac teriological state (Table 8 to 10). Of the other markers, ATR and Cl- proved to be more adequate for the differentiation than BSA. It can be ascertained that besides SCC, first of all NAGase can be recommended for the pharmacodynamic studies - and also for other purposes (milk qu alification, herd examination) -, besides these, as a possible third m arker, ATR and Cl- can also be chosen.