Detection of subclinical mastitis in dairy cows using California and Draminski mastitis test

Control of udder health is an essential element in the process of safe milk production. Thus through the mastitis control program dairy farms regularly conduct measures of detection and prevention of udder diseases. Subclinical mastitis is an important disease of dairy cows causing economic losses and physical and chemical changes in milk. The aim of this research was to evaluate the usefulness of the California and the Draminski mastitis test to detect the subclinical mastitis in dairy cows. The efficacy of indirect mastitis tests for diagnosis of the subclinical mastitis was determined by comparing results of mastitis tests with bacteriological findings. The experiment was conducted on two dairy farms (farm A and farm B) Holstein - Friesian breed. A total of 245 quarter milk samples were examined, 95 quarter milk samples with the California mastitis test from farm A and 150 quarter milk samples with the Draminski mastitis test from farm B. A quarter milk samples for bacteriological analysis were taken aseptically during the morning milking in sterile test tubes. On farm A, bacteria growth has not been detected in 46.32% (44/95) quarter milk samples, while on farm B negative bacteriological findings have been found in 50.67% samples (76/150). In present study, sensitivity of the California mastitis test (78.57%) is higher than sensitivity of the Draminski mastitis test (74.32%). The specificity of the California mastitis test and the Draminski mastitis test is 82.05% and 30.26%, respectively. Efficacy of the California mastitis test in detection of the subclinical mastitis in dairy cows is better than that of the Draminski mastitis test, since accuracy of the California mastitis test has been higher. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR 31034]