Detection of pathogens and determination of inflammatory changes as diagnostic parameters for mastitis - evaluation of results and implications for bovine mastitis control

Measures of mastitis diagnosis should be focussed on a balanced cost-benefit-relationship. The determination of pathogens and of inflammatory parameters is influenced by a variety of interfering factors. A single cyto-bacteriological examination of quarter foremilk samples very often results unsatisfactorily. Therefore, after a cyto-bacteriologically based categorisation of udder health (e.g. 3 samples at weekly intervals) of all quarters in a herd in order to determine the main type of pathogen, clinical parameters of udder health along with cytological criteria should be applied predominantly to diagnose mastitis, especially the clinical cases.