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Comparison of Indirect Procedures for Estimating Somatic Cell Concentration¹

Animal Physiology and Genetics Institute, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, ARC, Beltsville, Maryland 20705

ABSTRACT

The choice among screening tests in a program for control of abnormal milk should be based on capacity to discriminate between milk samples above and below the somatic cell concentration limit. Berkson's Cost-Utility analysis has been adapted to screening test results to determine critical score at which each test achieves 90% detection of positive milk samples (Utility) and Cost of percent of negative samples misidentified at that critical score. Application of the method to an hypothetical practical sample population permits comparison of various screening tests in predicted sample load requiring expensive confirmatory procedure. The Wisconsin Mastitis Test and the Direct Microscopic Somatic Cell Count as a screening test produced the lowest cost estimates among screening tests in the United States.

The linear correlation coefficient and percentage agreement methods of analysis are discussed regarding inability to produce desired information.

¹ Invitational paper presented at the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Dairy Science Association, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, July 28, 1972.