Milk Somatic Cell Count (SCC) in Mastitis Diagnosis: Guide & Applications
What are milk somatic cells?
Milk somatic cells (SCC) are mainly immune cells (≈ 95 % white blood cells) plus a small number of mammary epithelial cells.
Types of white blood cells:
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Neutrophils: > 90 % during acute infection; kill bacteria by phagocytosis.
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Macrophages: dominate in chronic infection; secrete cytokines to modulate inflammation.
Clinical significance:
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Normal: healthy cows < 100 000 cells/mL; late lactation < 200 000 cells/mL.
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Alert: SCC > 200 000 cells/mL indicates subclinical mastitis; > 500 000 cells/mL requires immediate intervention.
Application of Milk Somatic Cell Count in Mastitis Diagnosis
【Dynamic monitoring】:
Monthly SCC testing via DHI (Dairy Herd Improvement) to plot curves and warn of infection trends.
【Distinguish infection types】:
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Bacterial: sharp SCC spike (e.g., E. coli infection SCC > 1 million/mL within 24 h).
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Chronic: SCC persistently > 500 000/mL with little fluctuation (e.g., S. aureus).
【Limitation】:
non-infectious factors (lactation stage, stress) can also raise SCC; combine with pathogen testing.
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