title: Relationship between milk production and somatic cell count in dairy cows in East Gippsland.
abstract: The analysis of records for 75,821 herd tests on 23,700 cows in the Macalister Irrigation District of East Gippsland, using a model that also included stage of lactation, herd and cow effects, found a strong relationship between somatic cell count and milk production. Unit increases in the natural logarithm of the somatic cell count were associated with decreases in production of up to 2.6% in the range 54,598 to 403,429 cells per mL. This is equivalent to a decrease of 1.9% for a doubling of cell count from 100,000 to 200,000 cells per mL. Subclinical mastitis was assessed to be a significant source of loss in milk production in the study area.
authors: University of Melbourne, Rural Veterinary Unit, Maffra, Victoria.
authors: A R
authors: AR
authors: Cameron
authors: G A
authors: GA
authors: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000502:physiology*; D002452:Cell Count / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D008892:Milk / Q000166:cytology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D014739:Victoria