Document Detail


Management of mastitis on organic and conventional dairy farms.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  18820158     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
This paper compares management of mastitis on organic dairy farms with that on conventional dairy farms. National standards for organic production vary by country. In the United States, usage of antimicrobials to treat dairy cattle results in permanent loss of organic status of the animal, effectively limiting treatment choices for animals experiencing bacterial diseases. There are no products approved by the US Food and Drug Administration that can be used for treatment of mastitis on organic dairy farms, and usage of unapproved products is contrary to Food and Drug Administration guidelines. In general, organic dairy farms tend to be smaller, produce less, and more likely to be housed and milked in traditional barns as compared with conventionally managed herds. It is difficult to compare disease rates between herds managed conventionally or organically because perception and detection of disease is influenced by management system. To date, no studies have been published with the defined objective of comparing animal health on organic dairy herds with that on conventional dairy herds in the United States. European studies have not documented significant differences in animal health based on adoption of organic management. Few differences in bulk tank somatic cell counts have been identified between organic and conventional herds. Farmers that have adopted organic management consistently report fewer cases of clinical mastitis, but organic farmers do not use the same criteria to detect clinical mastitis. European dairy farmers that adopt organic management report use of a variety of conventional and alternative therapies for treatment and control of mastitis. In the United States, organic farmers treat clinical mastitis using a variety of alternative therapies including whey-based products, botanicals, vitamin supplements, and homeopathy. Organic farmers in the United States use a variety of alternative products to treat cows at dry-off. Virtually no data are available that support the clinical efficacy of any of the alternative veterinary products used for treatment or prevention of mastitis. Some associations between organic management and antimicrobial susceptibility of gram-positive mastitis pathogens have been noted, but overall, few mastitis pathogens from both conventional and organic dairy herds demonstrate resistance to antibiotics commonly used for mastitis control.
Authors:
P L Ruegg
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Review     Date:  2008-09-26
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of animal science     Volume:  87     ISSN:  1525-3163     ISO Abbreviation:  J. Anim. Sci.     Publication Date:  2009 Apr 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-04-01     Completed Date:  2009-05-08     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8003002     Medline TA:  J Anim Sci     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  43-55     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Dairy Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA. plruegg@wisc.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animals
Anti-Infective Agents / therapeutic use
Bacterial Infections / diagnosis,  economics,  microbiology,  therapy,  veterinary*
Cattle
Complementary Therapies / veterinary
Dairying / economics,  methods*,  standards
Disease Management
Female
Health Food / standards*
Mastitis, Bovine / diagnosis,  economics,  microbiology,  therapy*
Milk / standards
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Anti-Infective Agents

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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