Mastitis Research Paper

Mastitis is inflammation of the mammary glands in dairy cattle. When bacteria invades the teats it causes an immune response. It can be transmitted from cow to cow by contaminated hands, and milking machines. The pathogens responsible for mastitis infection are E. coli, Streptococcus uberis, and Staphylococcus aureus (AHDB, n.d.). Clinical signs of a possible infection include udder swelling, redness, pain, and hardness. Milk can have a watery, flakey, clots, or pus appearance. In severe cases cows will have a fever, lack of appetite, sunken eyes, diarrhea, decreased milk production, and lethargy.
The mastitis test kit I used was the California Mastitis Test Kit. It works by reacting to the DNA of somatic cells found in milk for the detection