The level of certain milk components in acute mastitis

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Dairy Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Mastitis is a significant disease in dairy animals, impacting milk quality and production.
• Alterations in milk composition, including lactose and citric acid, are characteristic of clinical mastitis.
• Understanding these biochemical changes is crucial for effective disease management and assessing recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dynamic changes in lactose, citric acid, and pH levels in milk during clinical mastitis.
• To quantify the reduction in lactose and citric acid in milk from affected quarters.
• To determine the time course for the normalization of these milk components following therapeutic intervention.

Main Methods:

• Milk samples were collected from dairy animals diagnosed with clinical mastitis.
• Levels of lactose, citric acid, and pH were measured in milk from affected and healthy quarters.
• Comparative analysis of milk composition before and after a 10-day therapeutic period was performed.

Main Results:

• Milk from mastitis-affected quarters showed a significant decrease in lactose levels to 1.33% (a 77% reduction).
• Citric acid levels in milk from affected quarters dropped to 0.094% (a 72% reduction).
• Normalization of lactose and citric acid levels to pre-infection or healthy levels was observed approximately 10 days post-therapy.

Conclusions:

• Clinical mastitis drastically alters key milk metabolites, specifically lactose and citric acid.
• The recovery period for these milk components following treatment is substantial, lasting around 10 days.
• Monitoring these biochemical markers can aid in assessing mastitis severity and treatment efficacy.