MASTITIS RESISTANCE TO ENHANCE DAIRY FOOD SAFETY

In the United States, cash receipts from marketing of milk during 2010 totaled $31.4 billion (NASS, 2011) and it is estimated that U.S. consumers spend approximately 11% of their food dollars on dairy products (IDFA 2009). However, the dairy industry continues to experience significant monetary drain through the losses associated with common diseases. Bovine mastitis is the most costly infectious disease currently affecting dairy cattle. Recent estimates suggest that economic losses due to clinical and subclinical mastitis are in the range of $200 per cow per year (Hogeveen et al., 2011). These losses are primarily due to lost milk production, increased veterinary costs, increased cow mortality, and discarded milk. While significant advances have been made in controlling some types of mastitis, the complex etiology of the disease and ongoing changes in dairy practices dictate that new and more effective methods for control and treatment be developed over time. Single site studies are often limited in terms of expertise and cattle numbers. A multi-state project provides advantages in terms of increased numbers of herds and cattle as well as multiple levels of expertise. Novel diagnostic techniques and intervention strategies will be designed and tested to assist farms experiencing mastitis and milk quality problems. On-farm culturing will be used and evaluated for its ability to target antimicrobial therapy, and reduce overall antibiotic usage.