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Mastitis Testing

Submission Guidelines

Submission Form (PDF)

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Mastitis PCR

  • PCR detection is effective on DHI or hand-stripped milk samples from treated, fresh or late lactation cows
  • Pool up to five samples for cost-effective screening. Split positive pools to test individual samples
  • Convenient testing options include:
    • High SCC samples
    • Fresh cows
    • Monitor causes of infection and verify clearance before introduction
    • Bulk tank or groups to provide ongoing surveillance

PCR Test Options:

  • Individual Organism PCR
    • Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus uberis, Prototheca, Staphyloccous aureus or Mycoplasma bovis
    • Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common pathogens to cause chronic mastitis. It is highly contagious and usually not treatable. Infection with Staph aureus often leads to abscesses and an abundance of scar tissue in the mammary gland.
    • Mycoplasma bovis is a very small, highly contagious bacteria that can cause mastitis as well as respiratory and reproductive issues. Infection with Mycoplasma bovis is not treatable; infected cows must be identified, segregated, and culled.
  • AntelBio™ STRATA-G™ Contagious 3 PCR
    • M bovis, Strep ag., Staph aureus
  • Complete 16 PCR
    • Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus species, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus uberis, Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium bovis, Enterococcus species, Klebsiella species, Trueperella pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcal beta-lactamase gene, Mycoplasma bovis, Mycoplasma species, Yeast and Prototheca species.

Sample Type

  • Milk (fresh, frozen or preserved)

When to use

  • Screen individual animals including recently purchased, new and chronically high SCC cows, and recently fresh cows
  • Monthly screening and monitoring of bulk tank, groups/pens and hospital pen/tank

Results

  • Available within 48 hours of sample processing
  • Only organisms detected are indicated. If no organisms are detected, result is reported as Undetected with a Negative final result.
  • Positive results are reported as High, Moderate, or Low based on CT values.
Target Organism CentralStar PCR Test Available Description Ct Value Ranges
HIGH MODERATE LOW
Mycoplasma bovis Complete 16,Contagious 3, Single Most common Mycoplasma in mastitis cases. Not able to be identified by typical on farm culture. <23 23-30 30-40
Mycoplasma species Complete 16 Contagious pathogen spread through milk and blood. Can also cause pneumonia and arthritis. <25 25-32 32-37
Staphylococcus aureus Complete 16,Contagious 3, Single One of the most significant contagious mastitis pathogens, spread easily in the milking parlor <25 25-30 30-40
Staphylococcus species Complete 16 Common in dairy envrionments. Also known as Coagulase Negative Staph (CNS) or Non-aureus Staph (NAS) <20 20-30 30-33
Staphylococcal beta-lactamase gene Complete 16 A sub-group of Staphylococcus resistant to treatment with a beta-lactamase products. <26 26-31 31-36
Streptococcus agalactiae Complete 16,Contagious 3, Single Highly contagious, only proliferates within the udder <26 26-34 34-40
Streptococcus uberis Complete 16, Single Found in organic material such as bedding and manure. <26 26-34 34-39
Streptococcus dysgalactiae Complete 16 Found in organic material such as bedding and manure. <25 25-34 34-40
Enterococcus species Complete 16 Found in organic material such as bedding and manure. <24 24-30 30-36
Escherichia coli Complete 16 Found in organic material such as bedding and manure. <25 25-35 35-38
Klebsiella species Complete 16 Found in organic material such as bedding and manure. <24 24-30 30-40
Prototheca species Complete 16, Single Colorless algae, widespread in the dairy environment in wet or humid areas. <23 23-32 32-40
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Complete 16 Found in soil and water on dairy farms, can lead to mild or severe mastitis infections <26 26-33 33-37
Yeast Complete 16 Very common in dairy environment, cases suggest a look at certain management practices. <24 24-32 32-35
Trueperella pyogenes Complete 16 Commonly found in wounds, more common in warmer months. <28 28-32 32-40
Corynebacterium bovis Complete 16 Rare; lives in the teat canal. Can be considered contagious. <28 28-31 31-36

Price

  • Individual Complete 16 PCR: $40/sample
  • Pooled Complete 16 PCR (Min 3): $10/sample
  • Individual AntelBio™ STRATA-G™ Contagious 3 PCR: $30/sample
  • Pooled AntelBio™ STRATA-G™ Contagious 3 PCR (Min 3): $8/sample
  • Individual Single Target PCR (Staph aureus, Strep. Ag. Strep uberis, Prototheca OR M. bovis): $14.25/sample
  • Pooled Single Target PCR (Min 3): $4/sample
  • Testing billed upon sample receipt
  • $10 sample submission fee per order

Submit Samples

Additional Information

Testing Supplies

CentralStar’s laboratories provide sample analyses on milk, blood, fecal, and tissue samples for a variety of production, disease and health-related traits. More than 6 million samples are processed annually using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques including infrared spectroscopy, flow cytometry, ELISA, PCR, and more.

Diagnostic tests are intended to identify diseases for animal health, and do not determine the “safety” of milk.