title: Somatic cell count and alkaline phosphatase activity in milk for evaluation of mastitis in buffalo.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mastitis is a serious disease of dairy animals causing great economic losses due to a reduction in milk yield as well as lowering its nutritive value. The application of somatic cell count (SCC) and alkaline phosphatase activity in the milk for diagnosis of mastitis in buffalo is not well documented. Therefore, the present study was conducted to observe the SCC and alkaline phosphatase activity for evaluation of mastitis in buffalo.
  
  
  METHODS
  Milk samples of forty apparently healthy lactating buffaloes were selected and categorized into five different groups viz. normal buffaloes, buffaloes with subclinical mastitis with CMT positive milk samples (+1 Grade), (+2 Grade), (+3 Grade), and buffaloes with clinical mastitis with 8 animals in each group. The milk samples were analyzed for SCC and alkaline phosphatase activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of SCC (×10(5) cells/ml) and alkaline phosphatase (U/L) in different groups were viz. normal (3.21±0.179, 16.48±1.432), subclinical mastitis with CMT positive milk samples with +1 Grade (4.21±0.138, 28.11±1.013), with +2 Grade (6.34±0.183, 34.50±1.034), with +3 Grade (7.96±0.213, 37.73±0.737) and buffaloes with clinical mastitis (10.21±0.220, 42.37±0.907) respectively, indicating an increasing trend in the values and the difference observed among various group was statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that the concentration of milk SCC and alkaline phosphatase activity was higher in the milk of buffaloes with mastitis than in the milk of normal buffaloes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Physiology, College of Animal Husbandry, Sharadanagar, Baramati, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Physiology, Bombay Veterinary College, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Nagvekar
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Physiology, Bombay Veterinary College, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Ingole
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Physiology, Bombay Veterinary College, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Bharucha
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Physiology, Bombay Veterinary College, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: V T
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Palve
keywords: alkaline phosphatase; buffalo milk; mastitis; somatic cell count