Apparatus for pasteurising teat cup liners between cows in a herringbone parlour

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Microbiology
• Dairy Science
• Agricultural Engineering

Background:

• Mastitis remains a significant economic concern in dairy herds, often linked to inadequate teat cup liner hygiene.
• Common pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Streptococcus uberis are frequently implicated in mastitis infections.
• Effective cleaning protocols for milking equipment are crucial to prevent pathogen transmission and maintain udder health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a novel hot water back-flushing system for cleaning teat cup liners.
• To assess the system's ability to eliminate specific mastitis-causing bacteria from teat cup liners.
• To determine the operational costs and time implications of implementing this cleaning method in a commercial dairy setting.

Main Methods:

• Teat cup liners were deliberately contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Streptococcus uberis at a concentration of 10(6) organisms/ml.
• A newly developed back-flushing apparatus was used to treat the contaminated liners with 85°C water for either five or ten seconds.
• Post-treatment, standard swabbing techniques were employed to attempt bacterial recovery from the teat liners.

Main Results:

• Following a five-second back-flush, swabbing failed to recover contaminating organisms in 56 out of 64 tests.
• A ten-second back-flush resulted in no bacterial recovery in the same number of tests.
• The developed apparatus is described, detailing its integration into routine milking procedures.

Conclusions:

• The hot water back-flushing system demonstrates high efficacy in eliminating key mastitis-causing bacteria from teat cup liners.
• The system is operationally feasible, with low running costs (estimated at £4/week for a 100-cow herd) and minimal impact on milking time (approx. 10 seconds per cow).
• Potential improvements in apparatus design and milking techniques are considered for enhanced efficiency and hygiene.