Comparative evaluation of Interleukin-6, somatic cell count and electrical conductivity as predictive tools for subclinical mastitis in dairy Buffaloes

Due to the economic and public health importance of mastitis, the present study was designed to evaluate the use of new sensitive subclinical mastitis detection system in dairy buffaloes in comparison to well-established used methods. The new method involved the specific quantification of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in buffaloes’ milk using ELISA specific for bovine IL-6. 36 out of 50 buffaloes’ milk samples were found to be subclinicaly mastitic with a mean interleukin-6 value of 51.3±4.9 ng/ml. IL-6 determination showed great superiority and sensitivity for detection of subclinical mastitis in comparison to somatic cell count and electrical conductivity. Milk IL-6 determination comprises a valuable candidate for prediction of subclinical mastitis in dairy buffaloes