Reducing Staph. aureus infections to produce more milk of higher quality

Studies show that around 85% of dairy farms in New Zealand have Staph. aureus within the milking herd and typically 5% of cows in each herd are infected. Staph. aureus can spread from cow to cow at milking time through contaminated milk in the milking cups.

Identifying cows with Staph. aureus can be challenging as most infections are subclinical, meaning some cows do not show visible signs of mastitis. Elevated SCC is a common indicator of subclinical mastitis, including Staph. aureus infection. Identifying the bug from a shortlist of high SCC cows using Herd Test data is a great way to make better management decisions.

Take action to reduce Staph. aureus infection next season

The best time to cure a Staph. aureus infection is during the dry period, when treatment with long-acting dry cow antibiotics could cure 65% to 70% of cases. Follow the steps below to keep "clean cows, clean" and produce more milk of higher quality. 

1. Identify high SCC cows using Herd Test data. If you don’t herd test, then RMT suspect cows in late lactation.
2. Take milk samples from the shortlist of high SCC cows.
3. Run the Mastatest HiSCC test to identify the bug infecting these cows.
4. Work alongside your vet to make better decisions at drying off for each cow

Talk to your vet or ring AgriHealth on 0800 821 421 to know more