The Mammary Gland Health and Prevention of Mastitis in Dairy Cows

Despite the increasing level of technological support and veterinary measures, inflammation of the mammary gland, mastitis, is still one of the main health problems and reasons of economic losses faced by cow farmers. Due to the polyfactorial nature of ruminant mammary gland inflammation related to reduction of mastitis, the effectiveness of commonly used antimastitis methods tends to be limited. The book contains an overview of studies that synthesize knowledge available within the chain of mastitis diagnostics, the quality of milk produced and prevention of mammary gland inflammation implemented under conditions of dairy farming. The acquired knowledge extends the range of existing diagnostic methods used for the determination of inflammatory markers in the blood and milk of ruminants that are important for early detection of intramammary infections and methods of their prevention by utilisation of mineral-vitamin supplements and organic additives. By combining innovative detection methods and acquired knowledge in the field of mastitis control and prevention, the thesis contributes to the improvement of anti-mastitis programmes and the health of dairy cows, which is the first prerequisite for ensuring production of quality milk and protection of consumer’s health.