MASTITIS TESTING

Waikato Times, Volume 123, Issue 20576, 13 August 1938, Page 3

MASTITIS TESTING

j RELIABLE DATA WANTED | FREE SERVICE TO FARMERS ! With a view to securing reliable data us to the incidence of mastitis in dairy herds in the Dominion, the Department of Agriculture and Hie New Zealand Dairy Board have provided the necessary finance to enable herd testing associations to carry out a free mastitis testing service for their members during the 1938-39 season. It is confidently expected that the data obtained from all parts of New Zealand will be of considerable assistance to research workers, in addition to providing dairy farmers testing their herds for butterfat production with very vital information. The service was entirely optional, and all results would be regarded as strictly confidential, and individual figures would not be quoted, said Mr S. J. Sheaf, general manager of the New Zealand Co-operative Herd Testing Association in a statement yesterday. The testing will be carried out by the brom-thymol-blue method, which is an "indicator” test, said Mr Sheaf, the colour of the milk reacting immediately it comes in contact with Die Lrom-thymol-blue liquid. The purI pose of Uhj lest is to ascertain whether the acidity of the milk lias been reduced, mastitis infected milk being less acid than normal milk. It is slated that the reduction of acidity is much more pronounced iu the fore-milk, and lor that reason the irrst squirt from each quarter is taken in a separate test tube for each quarter, and should about. quarter to half fill the tube. Responsibility of Milkers The responsibility of taking the quarter samples rests with the milkers, and if a testing member takes advantage of this service, ne must submit all cows for monthly testing. No cow will be tested, however, until she has been in at least a month, nor will she be tested within one month of drying off. The mastitis samples are taken from one milking only, which in the majority of cases will be the evening milking. Special apparatus has been designed with a view to enabling the samples to be taken with the least possible delay to milking operations, and after the milking has been completed the testing officer will read and record the results according to the colour reactions of the milk sample from each quarter. The following abbreviations will be used: —O.K (a light greenish yellow colour) —Not infected; ? (a light green colour)- —doubtful; X (dark green or greenish blue to blue) —Infected, i.e., a positive reaction. Other Tests The brom-thymol-blue test will not locate all mastitis infection, and there are other tests, such as the leucocyte count (which is widely used by the Department of Agriculture), I which are more sensitive. The brom-thymol-blue method, however, was the one re-commended by Dr G. J. Hucker as the most satisfactory for use on a wide scale under ordinary shed conditions. In the meantime, the brom-thymol-blue test should be regarded as partially experimental, although it is felt that this test will supply the very much needed data regarding the incidence of mastitis, and will also be of considerable value to dairy farmers. It should be pointed out that monthly variations in mastitis tests do not by any means indicate inaccuracy in the work, as the condition of any particular cow may quite easily change from test to test. It follows, therefore, that positive reactions from apparently normal cows should not be hurriedly acted upon, but rather should they be noted for future guidance after subsequent tests have been i taken. Mr Sheaf stated that it was coni' fidently anticipated that a large number of testing dairy farmers would take advantage of this free service.