Integration of Differential and Total Somatic Cell Counts for Udder Health Classification: Association with Milk Lactose Concentration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52331/v30i3hw20Keywords:
udder health, Differential Somatic Cell Count , Somatic Cell Count , Milk LactoseAbstract
Mastitis is one of the most important diseases in dairy cattle, impairing milk yield, composition, and animal welfare. Somatic cell count (SCC) is the traditional indicator of udder health, but it does not provide information on leukocyte composition. Differential Somatic Cell Count complements SCC by quantifying the proportion of neutrophils and lymphocytes, improving mastitis detection and characterization. Lactose, the main carbohydrate, is a potential biomarker of mammary epithelial integrity and declines during intramammary inflammation. This study aimed to classify milk samples based on combined SCC and DSCC thresholds and to evaluate the association between udder health status and lactose concentration. A total of 1,083 milk samples were collected from 50 multiparous Romanian Spotted cows housed in a free-stall system with an automated milking robot over a two-year period. Sixteen samples (1.5%) could not be classified due to missing or invalid SCC/DSCC values and were excluded from group comparisons. The remaining 1,067 samples were classified as healthy udder ( DSCC<75%, SCC<200.000), subclinical mastitis (DSCC>75%, SCC<200.000), clinical mastitis (DSCC>=75%, SCC>200.000), or chronic mastitis (DSCC<75%,SCC>=200.000). Mean lactose concentration was 4.82+-0.37%(range 1.94-5.31%) and decreased progressively from healthy udders to chronic mastitis. The Kruskal-Wallis test confirmed significant differences among groups, with Dunn's post-hoc tests showing significantly lower lactose in clinical and chronic mastitis compared with healthy udders. Lactose was negatively correlated with SCC and DSCC, whereas DSCC and SCC were strongly positively correlated. These findings demonstrate that lactose concentration is a sensitive indicator of udder health, and its integration with SCC and DSCC provides a robust, non-invasive approach for early detection and monitoring of intramammary inflammation.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Daniela Elena Babiciu, Anamaria Blaga Petrean, Silvana Popescu
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