Super-Resistant Cows

Novel tools to prevent Streptococcus uberis mastitis in dairy cows

This project will improve on-farm productivity and profitability by providing farmers with new and improved tools to prevent mastitis. These tools will include, but are not restricted to, genetic markers of resistance, and will be generated from identification and characterization of cattle with proven superior resistance to Streptococcus uberis mastitis. This project aims to develop and validate selection procedures to identify cows with superior resistance, to assess this resistance under natural and/or experimental challenge situations and to identify biochemical, physiological and genetic markers of these super-resistant cattle phenotypes.

During 2011-2012 this project will deliver the results of the experimental challenge studies, in the form of a scientific manuscript, outlining the relative contributions of physical, biochemical and immunological resistance factors to S. uberis mastitis. Development of the independent phenotypically characterised population of heifers will continue, with both bacteriological sampling and milk production recording occurring.

Expected outcomes of this project

Benefit

Farmers will be enabled to make more informed choices regarding breeding decisions, as selection procedures that identify super-resistant cows will become available to farmers. Such procedures may involve analysis of milking performance, patho-physiology markers, mastitis history, herd test data and/or genetic material.

Strategies developed within the project will enable farmers to make more informed animal husbandry decisions, thereby allowing herds to operate with improved profitability and productivity due to increased milk production and reduced animal health costs associated with fewer cases of mastitis. Provision of practical on-farm strategies that enable farmers to reduce the level of environmental mastitis in their herds, through increased understanding of infection mechanisms that operate at the teat-end and teat canal level.

Longer term, commercial companies will be able to provide products that enable farmers to reduce mastitis in their herds through the tools developed within this project. This will be achieved via the transfer to a commercial partner of genetic marker discovery programmes and/or vaccine-like approaches that exploit characteristics of cows with superior resistance to mastitis.