Effect of subclinical mastitis on milk taurine concentration in dairy cows

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether taurine has any role in bovine subclinical mastitis, and the relationship between milk taurine concentration and somatic cell count. Forty milk samples from dairy cows aged 3 to 6 during lactation were used for this research. The California Mastitis Test (CMT) and somatic cell counts (SCC) were determined in the diagnosis of subclinical mastitis. The subclinical mastitis group consisted of 20 milk specimens positive for CMT and SCC>200.000/ml of milk. The control group consisted of 20 milk specimens negative for CMT and SCC<200.000/ml of milk. A bovine-specific taurine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit was used to determine the taurine concentration in the milk. The milk serum taurine concentrations were determined as 232.1 +/- 89.8 pg/ml in the control group and 158.0 +/- 55.6 pg/ml in the subclinical mastitis group. These results determined that the taurine concentration in milk with subclinical mastitis decreased approximately 1.5 times compared to healthy milk (P<0.05). A significant negative correlation was determined between the taurine concentration in cow's milk with subclinical mastitis and the number of somatic cells (r= -0.933; P<0.001). From the findings of this study, it was concluded that both somatic cell counts and the measurement of taurine in cow's milk could be used to monitor mammary health.