Mastite subclínica e relação da contagem de células somáticas com número de lactações, produção e composição química do leite em vacas da raça Holandesa Subclinical mastitis and the relationship between somatic cell count with number of lactations, production and chemical composition of the milk

Verificaram-se a ocorrência de mastite subclínica em animais da raça Holandesa e a relação entre a contagem de células somáticas com a ordem de lactação e com a produção e a composição química do leite. O estudo foi realizado em propriedades integrantes do programa de controle leiteiro da Associação de Criadores de Gado Holandês de Minas Gerais. As variáveis estudadas foram: ordem de lactação, ocorrência de mastite subclínica, contagem de células somáticas (CCS), produção de leite e porcentagens de gordura e de proteína total. A correlação entre CCS e produção de leite foi negativa e entre CCS e porcentagens de gordura e de proteína, positivas. Animais com maior número de lactações apresentaram maior CCS, e com CCS acima de 100.000 cels/ml menor produção de leite.The subclinical mastitis occurrence and the relationship between somatic cell count (SCC) with parity, milk yield and milk chemical composition, were studied in Holstein cows. The study was carried out in farms belonging to the milk control program of the Associação de Criadores de Gado Holandês de Minas Gerais. Data on lactation order, subclinical mastitis, SCC, milk production, fat contents and total protein contents were analyzed. There was a negative correlation between SCC and milk production and, correlations between SCC and percentage of fat and protein were positive. Higher lactation order cows showed higher SCC, and cows with SCC higher than 100,000 cels/ml showed less milk production

Records of performance and sanitary status from a dairy cattle herd in southern Brazil

Over the last decades, the emphasis on the health of dairy cows has changed from an individual to a herd level. In this scenario, the role played by the recording system and its interpretation by veterinarians has gained primordial importance. The records of productive and reproductive performance and of sanitary status from a southern Brazilian dairy cattle herd have been presented and discussed. The period of study was 2000-2009. Mean values per lactation period were 349D 8436M 290F 275P 201SCS (D: days in lactation, M: kg of milk yield, F: kg of fat, P: kg of protein and SCS: somatic cell score in 1000 cells/ml of milk). Major indexes of reproductive efficiency included age at first calving (31 months), services per conception (2.1), intercalving interval (428 days), calving to conception interval (146 days), mean annual rates of parturitions (76.2%), fetal losses (9.8-19.0%), and stillbirths (3.6%), apart of voluntary waiting period (94 days). Main information on sanitary status of the herd was associated with the mean prevalence of common disorders of dairy cattle such as anaplasmosis (29.8%), mastitis (27.8%), digital diseases (26.3%), ovarian cysts (21.3%), placental retention (19.7%), postpartum uterine infections (10.6%), and calf diarrhea (23.7%) and pneumonia (16.8%), among others. In addition, culling reasons (low reproductive performance [56.3%] and udder/mastitis problems [33.6%]), causes of cattle deaths (anaplasmosis [16.4%] and leukosis [11.4]), and the impact of cattle diseases such as tuberculosis, leukosis, and neosporosis on the herd have also been presented and succinctly discussed. Numbers between brackets represent rates accumulated in the 10-year period