CHANGES IN TOTAL AND DIFFERENTIAL MILK CELL COUNTS AND CERTAIN BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN SUBCLINICAL MASTITIS COWS
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Date
2022
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Publisher
ICAR-NDRI, KARNAL
Abstract
Mastitis is an inflammatory condition of the mammary gland and is classified as clinical
or subclinical depending on the visibility of the effects of inflammation of the mammary
gland. The present study was undertaken to study the total and differential milk cell counts
and certain biochemical parameters in subclinical mastitis cows. A total of 144 cows were
selected from Livestock Research Center (LRC), ICAR- NDRI, Karnal and divided into
two groups, 72 indigenous (Sahiwal) and 72 crossbred (Karan Fries) cows, and subdivided
into three groups viz., healthy (n=24), subclinical (n=24) and clinical mastitis (n=24)
according to their somatic cell count (SCC) and California mastitis test (CMT). Milk from
each cow was collected hygienically and evaluated for milk composition, SCC, and DLC.
Whey and cell pellet were separated for the quantification of enzymes and minerals. With
an increasing milk SCC there was no variation in the fat percentage of Sahiwal (SW) and
Karan Fries (KF) cows. However, protein, electrical conductivity (EC), and pH increased
whereas, SNF and lactose decreased significantly (P<0.05). Macrophage and lymphocyte
percentages decreased with increasing milk SCC while, neutrophil percentages increased
during subclinical and clinical mastitis in both the breeds. The mean lactate dehydrogenase
(LDH), N- acetyl β-D Glucosaminidase (NAGase), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and acid
phosphatase (ACP) concentration kept on increasing with an elevation of milk SCC with
maximum values observed in clinical mastitis cows. Sodium and chloride values increased
whereas, potassium decreased significantly (P<0.05) in the subclinical and clinical mastitis
groups of cows. There was a positive correlation between milk SCC and neutrophils (%)
whereas macrophages (%) and lymphocytes (%) were negatively correlated with milk SCC
in both Sahiwal and Karan Fries cows. A highly significant (P<0.001) and positive
correlation of milk SCC with milk protein, EC, and pH was found. However, a significant
(P<0.001) and negative correlation was observed in milk lactose with milk SCC in both
Sahiwal and Karan Fries cows. Milk enzymes along with sodium and chloride showed a
positive correlation with milk SCC whereas potassium was negatively correlated. This
study indicated that milk EC, pH, protein, lactose along with changes in LDH and ALP
observed in the milk of subclinical cows can be effectively used as the markers for early
detection of mastitis.