Supervisor: Dr. G. Keefe
Thesis Title: Laboratory evaluation of milk culture tests with potential on-farm application
Description of project: Mastitis remains the most costly infectious disease to the Canadian dairy industry. These costs are associated with loss of production, discard of milk and veterinary costs associated with antibiotic therapy. Antibiotic therapy for mastitis accounts for the majority of all antibiotics used in the dairy industry. Previous research has shown that up to 60% of cases of clinical mastitis do not require antimicrobial therapy. The hypothesis of this project is that by employing an on-farm culture system for mastitis, dairy producers will be able to make informed treatment decisions thus reducing the amount of antibiotics that are used on farms. The objectives of this project are to evaluate the University of Minnesota Bi-plate and Tri-plate and the 3M Petrifilm using milk samples from clinically positive cows, cows with SCC >200 000 and pre-dry off cows.
Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research
