Hogeveen, H.

Steeneveld, W.

Swinkels, J.M.

English

NARCIS 

Treatment of chronic subclinical mastitis caused by Streptococcus uberis: Stochastic modelling to support decisions

Name not available

Wageningen Yield 

Treatment of chronic subclinical mastitis caused by Streptococcus 
uberis: Stochastic modelling to support decisions 
Wilma Steeneveld1, Henk Hogeveen1'2 and Jantijn M. Swinkets3 
business Economics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands, 
2Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 
the Netherlands 
3Innovet Bovine Herd Health Consultancy, The Netherlands 
Background 
Traditionally, subclinical mastitis cases were not treated with antibiotics except during 
the dry period. However, recently this practice is changing. By some veterinarians, 
treatment of some types of subclinical mastitis is regarded to be effective. Economics play 
an important role in the decision to treat subclinical mastitis with antibiotics (Swinkels et 
al., 2005). Various factors play a role on the cost-effectiveness of treatment, amongst others 
probability of spontaneous cure, probability of the cow becoming clinically diseased, spread 
of infection to other cows, cure rate under treatment and physiological effects of the 
infection. The goal of this research is to support decisions around treatment of chronic 
subclinical mastitis caused by Streptococcus uberis. 
Results 
Since the decision. on antibiotic treatment of subclinical mastitis involves much 
uncertainty and variability, a stochastic Monte Carlo model is developed. This model 
simulates the dynamics of an infection for a cow known to have subclinical mastitis caused 
by S. uberis. Besides the effect of treatment on the infection status and economic damage 
of the cow, possible infections in other cows are also taken into account. The average 
economic damage (with basic input parameters) when a cow with chronic subclinical S. 
uberis mastitis (diagnosed after 2 subsequent cow somatic cell count measures above 
.250,000 cells/ml) is not treated is € 88.47 (Table 1). With a short (3 day) treatment, the 
average damage was higher, with a long (8 days) treatment, the average damage was even 
more higher. For the average cow, treatment is not economic efficient. Sensitivity analysis 
showed that this might depend on some specific cow and farm factors. Moreover, the spread 
of economic damage (Table 1) indicates that the risk of high damage is much higher when 
a cow with chronic subclinical mastitis caused by S. uberis is not treated. 
Table 1. Total economic damage (€/cow with chronic S. uberis) for different treatment methods. Given are the average 
and the spread (extremes and percentiles). 
Treatment 
None 
Short 
Long 
Average 
88.47 
103.47 
142.85 
Minimum 
0 
0 
0 
Maximum 
1,149.26 
• 1,019.38 
1,240.14 
5% 
7.52 
9.13 
8.90 
95% 
416.12 
294.78 
234.33 
References 
Swinkels.J.M., J.G.A.Rooijendijk, R.N.Zadoks, and H.Hogeveen. 2005. Use of partial budgeting to determine the 
economic benefits of antibiotic treatment of chronic subclinical mastitis caused by Streptococcus uberis and 
Streptococcus dysgalactiae. Journal of Dairy Research 72: 75-85. 
786 Mastitis injdairy production 


Treatment of chronic subclinical mastitis caused by Streptococcus uberis: Stochastic modelling to support decisions

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