Clinical Mastitis in Cows Treated with Sometribove (Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin) and Its Relationship to Milk Yield

¹ Monsanto Company, Animal Sciences Division, St. Louis, MO 63198
² Monsanto Europe SA, 1150 Brussels. Belgium
³ Monsanto PLC, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG24 OUL England
⁴ Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
⁵ Institut Technique de I'Elevage Bovin, 35650 LeRheu. France
⁶ Beghin-Meiji Industries, 75360 Paris, Cedex 08 France
⁷ Institut fur Milcherzeugung, der Bundesanstalt fur Milchforschung, D-2300 Kiel, 14 Germany
⁸ Dairy Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611
⁹ Department of Animal Science, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721
¹⁰ Animal, Dairy and Veterinary, Sciences Department, Utah State University, Logan 84322
¹¹ Palmvet Services, Rynfield, 1514 South Africa
¹² Department of Animal Science, University of Vermont, Burlington 05405
¹³ Center for Dairy Research, University of Reading, Berkshire, RG 29AQ, England
¹⁴ Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Istituto di Scienze DegLi Alimenti, e Della Nutrizione, 29100 Piacenza, Italy
¹⁵ Instituut voor Veevoedingsonderzoek, NL-8200 AD Lelystad, The Netherlands
¹⁶ Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences, CSFR-10400 Prague 10
¹⁷ Sanders de Sourches, Saint-Symphorien, 72480 Bemayen Champagne, France
¹⁸ FH Rheinland Pfalz, D-6530 Bingen. Germany

Effect of sometribove (methionyl bovine somatotropin) on mastitis in 15 full lactation trials (914 cows) in Europe and the US and 70 short-term studies (2697 cows) in eight countries was investigated. In full lactation studies, sometribove (500 mg/2 wk) was given for 252 d, commencing 60 d postpartum. Although herds varied considerably, incidence of clinical mastitis within a herd was similar for cows receiving control and sometribove treatments. Relative risk analyses indicated no treatment effect, and percentage of mastitis during treatment was similar for control and sometribove groups. A positive linear relationship existed between peak milk yield and mastitis incidence (percentage of cows contracting mastitis or cases per 100 cow days); sometribove treatment did not alter this relationship. Increases in mastitis related to milk yield increase from sometribove or related to genetic selection were similar. When expressed per unit of milk, mastitis incidence declined slightly as milk yield increased; this relationship was not altered by sometribove. No effect on clinical mastitis was observed in 70 commercial herds utilizing sometribove for 84 d. However, effects were significant for stage of lactation and milk yield. Overall, studies represented a wide range of research and commercial situations demonstrating that sometribove had no effect on incidence of clinical mastitis during the lactation of treatment. Furthermore, sometribove did not alter typical relationships between milk yield or herd factors and incidence of clinical mastitis.

Key Words: milk yield • mastitis • somatotropin

Submitted on August 2, 1993
Accepted on February 25, 1994

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