Mastitis in buffalo

Hello WH

Regarding your query I put it for you. We started with 12gms initially for the treatment of mastitis in bovines. This treatment took up to 13 days for curing the cases. We slowly increased the dose of tri-Sodium citrate and cut-short the duration of treatment to 3-5 days with 30gms orally daily for complete cure depending upon the severity of the disease. Thereafter, we standardised the I/V dose for this salt with graded levels of concentrations ( !% to 10%)given I/V to young calves and found 5% most safe and then tested in mastitis affected cows and buffaloes. We got spectacularly succesfull results in curing these clinical cases with tri-Sodium citrate ( TSC). This treatment was interestingly very effective against refrectory/resistant cases of long-standing and even recurrently affected animals.

Now it is upto you to select any scedule as all have proven safe and desirably most effective.
Please do convey your progress with the investigations for further discussions.

with regards Jasmer

Hello Dr WH
I am writing to you after a long gap. It is hoped that you have already undertaken the treatment of mastitis cases as envisaged in your correspondance. May I request you to please let me know the progress, if any, and the outcome from the proposed treatment of mastitis cases in cattle.

with regards Jasmer

Dear Dr Singh,

The investigation is proceeding slowly. To date, we have treated four (4) cases of clinical mastitis. We have been followed the treatment regime as suggested by you. However, we are not submitting samples for citrate levels, nor for bacterial culture.

I write seeking your comments on two cases.

One case presented with bloody milk in one of the two infected quarters and non-bloody milk in the other infected quarter. Both quarters have clots. The treatment regime resolved both quarters , which produced non-mastitis normal milk by the 5th day after the initiation of treatment.

My question is what do you suggest to be the cause for the bloody milk in this case?

The other case presented initially with enlarged quarter, the milk was normal at this stage, ie thee were not clots at this stage. Clots were observed the following day and treatment was initiated . The milk returned to normal on the fifth (5th) day after the initiation of treatment. However, the quarter was still enlarged.

My question is :- what would be the the reason (s) or possible reasons for this? In the previous cases the udder swelling and hardness were resolved concurrently with the return to non- mastitis milk, ie no clots in the milk and normal milk colour. In fact, this type of resolution of first three the three mastitis cases were favorably commented upon by the farmers involved. Now we have a 'different' type of resolution.

Your comment on these cases would be most appreciated. I look forward to them with interest.

Thanks.

wh

Hello WH

Did not hear from you for quite some time and was tempted to corresspond with with you to know, if some more cases of mastitis in dairy animals have been attended to by you and the results thereof.

with regards Jasmer

Hello Dr Singh
This is an interesting forum. We have tried the 30gm for 5 days dose and have had good results in a number of animals but have had some come back with mastitis. Can you give the dose for longer and what are the effects if we did this? We have had 2 dry off the quarter. Why does this happen? Is there any advantage in giving a larger dose? We are an organic farm.
Regards
Ollie

Hello Mr Ollie, Thanks for your information and enquiry regarding some more aspects of the treatment. Since Citrate is the normal content in the body and most basic functions are dependant on its metabolism including milk production. Citrate is synthesized in the udder and whenever there is any disturbance in its processing mastitis is the usual outcome. Hence, the optimal citrate quantity in udder is an essentiality for the maintainance of suitable environments in the udder. As citrate is essential for the regulation of normal pH(~6.50) of milk in udder which in itself will not allow the establishment of usually isolated infecting organisms. Treatment of mastitis with Citrate, thus, is an asset at a Dairy Farm producing 'Organic Milk'. Because you don't have to discard milk, no withdrawl period and without any hazzards to the consumer. Hence, Citrate treatment can be extended for 10-15 days without any side-effects. To me it appears that the animals at your farm are having perpetually disturbed Citrate synthesis, hence, recurrenece of mastitis cases in animals. I would suggest you to monitor the pH of milk with graded pH paper strips/pen pH meter as a routine at the farm in lactating animals and replenish the deficiency of citrate with oral administeration of this salt. Furthermore, Citrate can also be used as a preventative to control the overall mastitis incidence at the farm. I would request you to correspond with me whenever you have any problem at the farm. Pl do communicate with me for any problem of this type.

with regards Jasmer

We will conduct an application with tri-sodium citrate in dairy cows of our farm. I will share the results soon. Any other advises other than above will be welcome... thank you.

Hello Mr Cedden, It's a pleasure to know that you are planning to apply tri-Sodium citrate for the treatment of mastitis at your dairy farm. I would request you to monitor the pH of milk from each lactating teat individually and keep a record of it. Also if possible estimate the Citrate content in milk regularly in lactating cows. This I suggest because there is an abiding relationship between these two parameters i.e., pH and Citrate in revealing the health of udder. Hence, whenever there is any visual change in the character of milk/udder and deviation in milk pH it predicts about the impending problem like mastitis. Therefore, administeration of tri-Sodium citrate @ 30gms orally in 100ml of drinking water can help before it becomes a serious disease. Administeration of Citrate as a preventative for mastitis at the farm can also be adopted through monitoring of pH and citrate of udder milk.

Any other information which you might think is welcome.

With regards Jasmer

Dear Mr Jasmer,

Thank you very much for your kind advices about trisodium citrate use in dairy cattle. It will be more informative to measure pH in the milk then we are in a position to do it. However, I have no any idea about estimating citrate content in the milk. If you know any simple method to do it, it will be very helpful. But we will do regularly analysis milk protein, fat and total dry matter content beside dily milk yield and somatic cell count thoughout the experiment.

With kind regards

F. Cedden

Very good effort. please tell me mechanism? is its purpose to change the ph of milk so microbes in udder can not survive? here peoples use lemon or tattare ?

Hello Mr Ceddon/Abbas

Citrate plays a very crucial role in the udder to maintain normal pH of milk i.e., ~ 6.50 (slightly acidic). At this pH the organisms usually isolated from mastitic milk can not grow and multiply. Citrate also sequester Calcium in udder and preserves its fluidity. Whenever there is disturbance in the synthesis of citrate in udder calcium ions become free which clumps together and form flakes that mocks lime and cause injury to the sorrounding tissues. The 'tight junctions' between secretory epithelium of udder become compromised due to swelling in the injured area resulting in swapping of ions like Na, K, Cl, Hco3 and citrate between blood and milk thus bringing the pH of udder equal to that of blood i.e., 7.40 or even higher (alkaline). Presence of injury caused by calcium clumps and alkaline pH at this site provides most conducive enviroments for the environmental organisms like Escherchia coli, Staphy, Strepto., etc., The inflammatory reaction attracts body defense cells particularly PML etc., through the leaky tight junctions and the situations becomes explosive depending upon the gravity of the injury. When tri-Sodium citrate is administered orally or I/V the normal environments of udder is restored and the infectious organisms are scavenged off and recovery is achieved.
Regarding estimation of citrate in milk I have read that some firm in Germany has marketed a kit for this purpose or otherwise some laboratry doing this job can be contacted.

with regards Jasmer

I do agree with the Citrate theory....it could open a new avenue.