Differential Somatic Cell Count as a Marker for Changes of Milk Composition in Cows with Very Low Somatic Cell Count

摘要

Recently, the availability of a high-throughput milk analyzer performing a partial differential somatic cell count (DSCC) opened new opportunities in investigations on bovine udder health. The information supplied by this new tool would be of importance in cows with a very low somatic cell count (SCC ≤ 50,000 cells/mL). Our investigation confirmed that the repeatability of the measurement allows its use under field conditions. The observational data did not find an association between DSCC and intramammary infections in very low SCC cows. However, our data showed that all the major milk components decreased as the DSCC was raised. These findings confirmed that DSCC could be a new informative tool for dairy farmers to monitor the changes in milk quality. DSCC may be suggested as a marker to identify early changes in milk composition, as a result of an alteration in milk secretion mechanisms.