CCS control and milk quality: What is the relationship?

Higher counts may indicate the incidence of harmful bacteria in cattle, with consequences for milk quality, shelf life and processing. 

But that doesn't mean that the ideal CCS equals 0. In fact, if that happens either the test was invalidated or the cow isn't even alive. In other words, there is a basal rate of somatic cells in milk. Healthy animals maintain a level of white blood cells exactly to initially defend themselves in case any pathogen appears.



If you want to know how your cattle are doing, the somatic cell count in milk can be done with our Somaticell CCS method, at the foot of the cow with a numerical result in less than 3 minutes. It will contain the number of cells per mL of milk, the diagnosis of possible mastitis (inflammation in the mammary gland) and the indication of the quality standard of the raw milk of your cattle, also counting on the pH indicator of the milk!

If the somatic cell count is an indicator of milk quality, it means that it is crucial for everyone involved in the dairy industry, from those who raise cattle to intermediate and final consumers.

The increase in CCS changes the composition of the milk and people no longer accept consuming something of dubious quality and no competent producer wants to produce something bad, especially since there is no longer a place on the market for products like this. Today, with a quick internet search, consumers discover that if their milk has a different flavor, color and constitution, it could be due to the somatic cell count.

And that's why milk high in CCS spells harm. This includes loss to: the animal that becomes weaker and may even die; the production being reduced strongly; and the financial that is affected due to the disposal of milk, the expense with treatment and, sometimes, the disposal of animals.

Furthermore, the relevance of CCS lies in the fact that it becomes an indicator of the cow's performance as well as its health. This way you can confirm that she is well and able to produce. So stay tuned in the values. The healthy animal in general terms and in terms of mammary gland health, has a SCC value of up to 200.000 cells/mL of milk. When more than that, there is the possibility of some imbalance in the gland.

Somatic Cell Count

Another important point is that with CCS monitoring, it is possible to manage the herd in order to avoid contagion between animals. There are infectious diseases that pass from cow to cow and can wipe out your entire herd and income.



All of these indications of the importance of somatic cell counts help you to be always aware of the subject and, in particular, when linked to mastitis. Now, check out the following topic a little bit about the connection between the disease and CCS!

There is no way that the relationship between bovine mastitis and the increase in CCS can be more direct than it already is. The reason for this is simply because mastitis represents the main reason for the increase in somatic cell count. The disease damages the epithelial tissue, which causes the invasion of defense cells in the mammary gland and increases the somatic cell count. So let's talk more about the disease.

Bovine mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary glands. The inflammatory process happens as follows: the causative agent (generally a bacterium) invades the cow's teat canal and immediately her body triggers the defense cells to combat the invasion. The migration of blood defense cells into the mammary gland then takes place, increasing the amount of somatic cells in that channel.

These causative agents may arise from environmental causes or from contagious causes. Examples are irritating chemical agents, physical trauma, interaction with pathogenic microorganisms (such as bacteria, viruses, fungi) and improper handling at the time of milking.

Form of presentation of mastitis

Quanto à sua forma de apresentação, a mastite bovina pode ser clínica ou subclínica. A primeira demonstra com evidência a infecção na glândula mamária, causando grumos, pus e sangue no leite e outras alterações no corpo da vaca. Já a mastite subclínica apresenta só o aumento da contagem de células somáticas no leite, por isso é possível ter grande parte do rebanho com mastite subclínica sem que o produtor perceba. 

The experience of both cases is usually extremely unpleasant, so it is recommended to invest in preventive measures and immediate treatment. The ideal is to do the individual CCS of all the animals to know the situation of the herd.

To avoid undesired surprises, it is advised that the monitoring with the tests be carried out monthly. Our CCS test can be done easily and quickly, giving the somatic cell count at the foot of the cow, with a correlation of 97% with the electronic count.

Although unpleasant, infections such as mastitis are quite common in dairy herds. This means that forms of care and prevention must be equally regular. 

See below how to proceed with herds with CCS between 400.000 and 750.00/mL or more:

• Control mastitis;
• Properly and constantly clean the milking equipment (pulsators, vacuum controllers, etc.);
• Make sure you perform the entire teat disinfection procedure in the best possible way, including complete immersion in the solution, correct disposal of the disinfectant and that the product concentration is correct;
• Review the dry cow treatment schedule;
• Leave for last the identification and milking of animals with high cell count (in cases of elevation above 750.000/mL); 
• Rely on professional veterinary assistance to enhance problem solving.
  

Among the factors that interfere with the somatic cell count, we have selected for you:

O período de transição: Nesse momento a vaca está mais suscetível a infecções e grandes alterações orgânicas. Como fator de gravidade, esse período próximo ao parto é marcado pela imunocomprometimento da vaca pois ela tem menos nutrientes disponíveis para o sistema imunológico. Em suma, ela está mais exposta às bactérias infecciosas e, consequentemente, ao aumento da CCS;

O período seco: Nesse momento a vaca também está suscetível às bactérias infecciosas. Isso é somado a diferentes agravantes como a diminuição da higienização da glândula mamária e das canaletas, o afastamento do rebanho e a redução de monitoramento;

Os patógenos: Essa é uma das principais causas do aumento na CCS. A influência é forte não só em casos de infecção no ambiente, mas também referente ao contágio. A mastite contagiosa costuma passar de vaca para vaca e tem o agravamento em casos de falta de higienização e reutilização de equipamentos;

Temperatura e umidade: O verão também pode ser responsável pela elevação da contagem de células somáticas por conta do nível de temperatura e umidade do ambiente. Isso significa que o aumento pode durar por semanas ou meses. Algumas pesquisas relacionam isso com o fato do estresse visível das vacas em temperaturas mais altas, pois os altos níveis circulantes de hormônios do estresse alteram o sistema imunológico e, por conseguinte, o combate às bactérias.



With so many factors working against CCS, surely you're going to need to know how to lower the high rates, right? So keep an eye on the suggestions we separate for you. Read on!

The ideal base mean for CCS is 200.00/mL. If the score of part of your herd is higher, you will need to implement measures to treat and prevent new cases.

See below the 5 steps that we brought to help you in this mission:

Identificação: Identifique quais são as vacas com alta CCS a partir de testes individuais. Como mencionado, isso deve ser feito mensalmente pois é uma forma de prevenção, monitoramento e localização de infecções.

Redução: A pontuação da CCS só será menor quando os procedimentos de ordenha estiverem alinhados. Sendo assim, separe as vacas com alto CCS, faça a limpeza e manutenção dos equipamentos, lembre-se que o uso da toalha da vaca é individual, seque a ponta das tetas, faça o pré-dipping e o pós-dipping e faça o treinamento dos colaboradores da fazenda.

Conheça o seu “inimigo”: A informação sempre será uma arma poderosa contra as adversidades. Por isso, conheça o agente causador da infecção para melhor tratá-lo. Testes de bacteriologia têm a função de te ajudar nessa missão.

Roteiro: Esse é o momento de tomar decisões e além disso, é o momento de fazer o planejamento das próximas ações com base no histórico do rebanho. Só com planejamento e informações de qualidade você poderá prevenir e tomar as melhores escolhas para o seu rebanho.

Monitoramento: Você já fez a sua escolha e agora é hora de monitorar o progresso. Mas continue tomando todas as medidas de prevenção para reduzir a recorrência de infecções. 

It is also worth remembering that infections and major decisions require the help of a specialized team, but this team also needs to be responsible. This is extremely important and makes all the difference in improving your dairy cattle.

A Somaticell é uma empresa inovadora que propõe a elaboração de protocolos de tratamento eficientes e estratégias de controle da contagem de células somáticas.

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