Everyone is aware that cows with mastitis give less milk. Ron Munneke looked beyond the milk loss of clinical cows to consider how subclinical cases affect milk production.
The immune cells burn up a lot of energy during the hunting and killing process of the invading bacteria.
Source: Progressive Dairy, December 24, 2019. Link. Once the immune system is activated, the immune cell’s preference for glucose increases and causes them to absorb glucose directly from their surrounding environments. This competes directly with the production of milk because milk synthesis is driven by using glucose to make lactose. Some research has shown that an activated immune system can use over 4 pounds of glucose per day.
INSIGHTS: Use this information proactively to reinforce mastitis control programs and the importance of minimizing nutrient use by fresh cow immune systems. Team with sales reps from mastitis control companies to support the discussion directly with producers, herdsman and milk parlor leads.