Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-16T20:12:38.570Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The value of pathogen information in treating clinical mastitis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 November 2016

Elva Cha ,
Rebecca L Smith ,
Anders R Kristensen ,
Julia A Hertl ,
Ynte H Schukken ,
Loren W Tauer ,
Frank L Welcome  and
Yrjö T Gröhn
Elva Cha*
Affiliation:
Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Section of Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Rebecca L Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Anders R Kristensen
Affiliation:
Department of Large Animal Sciences, HERD – Centre for Herd-oriented Education, Research and Development, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 2, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark
Julia A Hertl
Affiliation:
Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Section of Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Ynte H Schukken
Affiliation:
Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Section of Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA GD Animal Health, Deventer, The Netherlands and Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Loren W Tauer
Affiliation:
Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Frank L Welcome
Affiliation:
Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Quality Milk Production Services, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Yrjö T Gröhn
Affiliation:
Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Section of Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
*
*For correspondence; e-mail: elvacha@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the economic value of obtaining timely and more accurate clinical mastitis (CM) test results for optimal treatment of cows. Typically CM is first identified when the farmer observes recognisable outward signs. Further information of whether the pathogen causing CM is Gram-positive, Gram-negative or other (including no growth) can be determined by using on-farm culture methods. The most detailed level of information for mastitis diagnostics is obtainable by sending milk samples for culture to an external laboratory. Knowing the exact pathogen permits the treatment method to be specifically targeted to the causation pathogen, resulting in less discarded milk. The disadvantages are the additional waiting time to receive test results, which delays treating cows, and the cost of the culture test. Net returns per year (NR) for various levels of information were estimated using a dynamic programming model. The Value of Information (VOI) was then calculated as the difference in NR using a specific level of information as compared to more detailed information on the CM causative agent. The highest VOI was observed where the farmer assumed the pathogen causing CM was the one with the highest incidence in the herd and no pathogen specific CM information was obtained. The VOI of pathogen specific information, compared with non-optimal treatment of Staphylococcus aureus where recurrence and spread occurred due to lack of treatment efficacy, was $20.43 when the same incorrect treatment was applied to recurrent cases, and $30.52 when recurrent cases were assumed to be the next highest incidence pathogen and treated accordingly. This indicates that negative consequences associated with choosing the wrong CM treatment can make additional information cost-effective if pathogen identification is assessed at the generic information level and if the pathogen can spread to other cows if not treated appropriately.

Keywords

Value of informationmastitisdairy
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 83 , Issue 4 , November 2016 , pp. 456 - 463
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barkema, HW, Schukken, YH & Zadoks, RN 2006 Invited review: the role of cow, pathogen, and treatment regimen in the therapeutic success of bovine Staphylococcus aureus mastitis. Journal of Dairy Science 89 1877–1895 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barlow, JW, Zadoks, RN & Schukken, YH 2013 Effect of lactation therapy on Staphylococcus aureus transmission dynamics in two commercial dairy herds. BMC Veterinary Research 9 28 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Behrens, TEJ, Woolrich, MW, Walton, ME & Rushworth, MFS 2007 Learning the value of information in an uncertain world. Nature Neuroscience 10 1214–1221 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cha, E, Hertl, JA, Schukken, YH, Welcome, FL & Gröhn, YT 2016 Evidence of no protection for a recurrent case of pathogen specific clinical mastitis from a previous case. Journal of Dairy Research 83 72–80 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cha, E, Kristensen, AR, Hertl, JA, Schukken, YH, Tauer, LW, Welcome, FL & Gröhn, YT 2014 Optimal insemination and replacement decisions to minimize the cost of pathogen-specific clinical mastitis in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 97 2101–2117 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Vries, A 2006 Economic value of pregnancy in dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 89 3876–3885 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gavirneni, S, Kapuscinski, R & Tayur, S 1999 Value of information in capacitated supply chains. Management Science 45 16–24 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guterbock, WM, Van Eenennaam, AL, Anderson, RJ, Gardner, IA, Cullor, JS & Holmberg, CA 1993 Efficacy of intramammary antibiotic therapy for treatment of clinical mastitis caused by environmental pathogens. Journal of Dairy Science 76 3437–3444 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hertl, JA, Schukken, YH, Welcome, FL, Tauer, LW & Gröhn, YT 2014a Effects of pathogen-specific clinical mastitis on probability of conception in Holstein dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 97 6942–6954 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hertl, JA, Schukken, YH, Welcome, FL, Tauer, LW & Gröhn, YT 2014b Pathogen-specific effects on milk yield in repeated clinical mastitis episodes in Holstein dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 97 1465–1480 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holmann, FJ, Shumway, CR, Blake, RW, Schwart, RB & Sudweeks, EM 1984 Economic value of days open for Holstein cows of alternative milk yields with varying calving intervals. Journal of Dairy Science 67 636–643 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kessels, JA, Cha, E, Johnson, SK, Welcome, FL, Kristensen, AR & Gröhn, YT 2016 Economic comparison of common treatment protocols and J5 vaccination for clinical mastitis in dairy herds using optimized culling decisions. Journal of Dairy Science 99 3838–3847 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kristensen, AR & Thysen, R 1991 Ranking of dairy cows for replacement. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica 41 295–303 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lago, A, Godden, SM, Bey, R, Ruegg, PL & Leslie, K 2011a The selective treatment of clinical mastitis based on on-farm culture results: I. Effects on antibiotic use, milk withholding time, and short-term clinical and bacteriological outcomes. Journal of Dairy Science 94 4441–4456 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lago, A, Godden, SM, Bey, R, Ruegg, PL & Leslie, K 2011b The selective treatment of clinical mastitis based on on-farm culture results: II. Effects on lactation performance, including clinical mastitis recurrence, somatic cell count, milk production, and cow survival. Journal of Dairy Science 94 4457–4467 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pinzon-Sanchez, C & Ruegg, PL 2011 Risk factors associated with short-term post-treatment outcomes of clinical mastitis. Journal of Dairy Science 94 3397–3410 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pinzon-Sanchez, C, Cabrera, VE & Ruegg, PL 2011 Decision Tree analysis of treatment strategies for mild and moderate cases of clinical mastitis occurring in early lactation. Journal of Dairy Science 94 1873–1892 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Repo, AJ 1989 The value of information: approaches in economics, accounting, and management science. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology 40 68–85 Google Scholar
Santos, JEP, Cerri, RLA, Ballou, MA, Higginbotham, GE & Kirk, JH 2004 Effect of timing of first clinical mastitis occurrence on lactational and reproductive performance of Holstein dairy cows. Animal Reproduction Science 80 31–45 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schukken, YH, Gunther, J, Fitzpatrick, J, Fontaine, MC, Goetze, L, Holst, O, Leigh, J, Petzl, W, Schuberth, HJ, Sipka, A, Smith, DGE, Quesnell, R, Watts, J, Yancey, R, Zerbe, H, Gurjar, A, Zadoks, RN, Seyfert, HM & members of the Pfizer mastitis research consortium 2011 Host-response patterns of intramammary infections in dairy cows. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 144 270–289 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schukken, YH, Zurakowski, MJ, Rauch, BJ, Gross, B, Tikofsky, LL & Welcome, FL 2013 Noninferiority trial comparing a first-generation cephalosporin with a third-generation cephalosporin in the treatment of nonsevere clinical mastitis in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 96 6763–6774 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sol, J, Sampimon, OC, Barkema, HW & Schukken, YH 2000 Factors associated with cure after therapy of clinical mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus . Journal of Dairy Science 83 278–284 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steeneveld, W, van Werven, T, Barkema, HW & Hogeveen, H 2011 Cow-specific treatment of clinical mastitis: an economic approach. Journal of Dairy Science 94 174–188 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed