Fellow: Amy Vasquez

Mentor: Daryl Nydam

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): 

The high incidence and treatment rate of mastitis, defined as inflammation or infection of the mammary gland, and its associated economic losses, denotes it as a disease of interest for development of protocols for prudent antimicrobial use on dairies. One such protocol developed and implemented by our group at a large dairy (3500 cows) compared outcomes of a pathogen-specific protocol to a 5 day blanket treatment protocol. The strategic method of treatment decreased milk withholding time by 3 days for those cows enrolled. There were no significant differences in days to clinical cure, milk yield, and linear scores post-event, nor additional odds of culling in the months following. If dairies with similar mastitis etiologies employ this protocol, >65% of mild to moderate cases will not be treated. Judicious use of antibiotics by dairy farmers in states such as NY, which have prominent contributions to milk products, can create positive impacts on sustainability by preventing the selection of resistant organisms, thereby increasing product efficacy. A team of 6 dairies and their respective veterinarians as well as local Quality Milk Production Services laboratories will investigate the application of the protocol on moderate-sized dairies using three-time-a-week milk sample pickup or on farm culture (OFC). Producer’s antimicrobial use pre- and post-study will be assessed through surveys and records. Economic analysis will be performed for each group of dairies. Measures of success will include producer’s perception of outcomes, analysis of specificity and sensitivity of OFC, and monitor of milk quality, quantity, and mastitis incidences.