Performing a QScout® MLD (milk leukocyte differential) test at key lactation events can help dairy producers detect subclinical mastitis early, gain a better view on udder health, and make precise treatment decisions that increase milk production, milk quality and reproductive performance, according to new trial data shared by Advanced Animal Diagnostics (AAD) at the 2015 National Mastitis Council Annual Meeting.

Modeled after the blood leukocyte differential used in humans and companion animals for decades, QScout MLD is the only on-farm test that provides a differential cell count of infection-fighting leukocytes, or white blood cells. Past research shows subclinical mastitis diagnoses based on this differential index have a strong correlation with actual milk production1.

“With QScout MLD, dairy producers benefit from the objective diagnostic value of the differential index in an on-farm rapid test,” said Mitch Hockett, Ph.D., Advanced Animal Diagnostics’ director of external research and technical marketing. “QScout MLD provides an improved view of udder health compared to conventional on-farm tests, and data show significant returns when using its information to guide subclinical mastitis treatments in early lactation and at dryoff.”

In a 14-month on-farm study in Idaho, AAD measured the impact of antibiotic treatment in quarters with subclinical mastitis in early lactation, based on QScout MLD diagnosis. Cows testing positive for subclinical mastitis at 7-14 days in milk (DIM) were split into treat and no treatment groups. The treated group showed significant advantages at projected 305d milk:

– 2,681 more pounds of milk per cow on average
– 115,000 fewer somatic cells/mL per cow on average
– 18 percent fewer services per conception and 14 fewer days open

“These results point to the critical importance of early detection to prevent losses,” Hockett said. “In fact, diagnosing and curing hidden udder infections during early lactation resulted in milk production and somatic cell counts on par with the control group testing negative at enrollment.”