RESEARCH WANTED ON MASTITIS

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29916, 1 September 1962, Page 7

RESEARCH WANTED ON MASTITIS

A CALL for research on mastitis, particularly to prevent the recurrence of the disease in the first place, was made by Dr. C. S M. Hopkirk, of '. incoln College. recently He suggested that it was something that public health authorities might take up

Inflammation of the mammary gland of the cow was a most important disease, he said, as it was responsible for considerable loss of milk, and the organism responsible could also be a danger to human health The farmer was responsible to see that milk from diseased cows did not get into the milk supply, but the task of preventing the disease and treating quarters when inflamed was not an enviable one with present knowledge Very little research had been carried out since the introduction of the treatment with antibiotics about 15 years ago Two main types of organisms were common Streptococcus agalactiae could be easily controlled by the use of penicillin and with consistent use of this antibiotic very few cases of this were seen around Christchurch The other was Staphylococcus aureus, many strains of which were found in inflamed quarters. Most of these were penicillin resistant and not readily cured with antibiotics Some were believed to be staphs from human sources and as such were dangerous to humans besides setting up

acute udder inflammation They were all found on the skin surfaces of the udder and teats or on the hand* of the milker and gained entry during milking. As there was no reliable cure for Stapaylococcal mastitis, and as chronic staph mastitis was not easily recognised except by laboratory methods, it was more important to try to prevent the disease in the first place. Considerable work was required on new methods of control. It was believed that during the milking process milk was sucked up into the milk sinuses and carried with it skin surface organisms. Therefore, sure methods of killing the organism on the teat surfaces and also in the cups between milking each cow had to be found. A vaccine was being tried as a preventive measure, but it was too early to assess its worth. Research was also required to find the relationship between nutrition and mastitis.

This new work was urgent and the need pressing to give relief to the farmer, who. with all the goodwill on his part, could not completely control the disease.

The laboratory assisted farmers in locating affected quarters, naming the responsible organism, and suggesting the best antibiotic to control the growth or to kill the organism responsible. As this service became better known more farmers were using it.