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Reply To: Mastitis In Sheep and Goats
Mycoplasmal Mastitis – Milk from Affected Cows Should Not be Fed to Calves
How can Mycoplasma be controlled?
Mastitis biosecurity programs can be used to decrease the risk of purchasing infected cattle. When purchasing cattle, bulk tank milk cultures from the herd of origin should be requested. Herd size and the portion of infected cows in the herd can influence the sensitivity of bulk tank milk cultures. Non lactating cows that calve after purchase should be isolated and milked last until a negative composite milk sample is obtained. Farmers that routinely purchase cattle should develop a biosecurity monitoring program in conjunction with their veterinarian. Submission of bulk tank milk for mycoplasma twice monthly would be appropriate for most herds and is cheap insurance.
The management of sick and fresh cows also contributes to the spread of this organism. Fresh cows should not be housed in the same pens or milked with the same equipment as sick cows or cows with mastitis. The feeding of waste milk from infected cows to calves is another source of transmission of this disease throughout the herd. Calves fed infected milk may develop pneumonia, joint infections and head tilts related to ear infections. Milk from infected cows should not be fed to calves. A solution is to pasteurize waste milk which, if properly done, will eliminate the problem with calves.
