Effectiveness of an Internal Teat Seal in the Prevention of New Intramammary Infections During the Dry and Early-Lactation Periods in Dairy Cows when used with a Dry Cow Intramammary Antibiotic - S. Godden*, P. Rapnicki*, S. Stewart*, J. Fetrow*, A. Johnson , R. Bey and R. Farnsworth* Department of Clinical and Population Sciences, and Department of Veterinary Diagnostic Medicine, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Minnesota, St. Paul 55108 Total Herd Management Services, Clintonville, WI 54929 J. Dairy Sci. 86:3899-3911

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of infusion with an internal teat seal at dry off, when used as an adjunct to long-acting antibiotic infusion at dry off, on the risk for acquiring a new intramammary infection (IMI) during the dry period, prevalence of IMI and linear score (LS) after calving, and risk for experiencing a clinical mastitis event between dry off and 60 DIM. A total of 437 cows from 2 dairy herds, with no clinical mastitis and 4 functional quarters, were enrolled at dry off. Prior to the final milking, all quarters were sampled for bacteriological culture and SCC analysis. After milking, all 4 quarters were infused with a commercially available long-acting dry cow antibiotic. Two contralateral quarters were then infused with an internal teat seal (Orbeseal, Pfizer Animal Health, New York). Following calving the teat seal was stripped out at first milking. Duplicate milk samples were collected between 1 to 3 DIM and again between 6 to 8 DIM for culture and SCC analysis. Quarters treated with Orbeseal had significantly lower prevalence of IMI at 1 to 3 DIM (tx = 22.8%, control = 29.1%), had significantly fewer quarters that acquired a new IMI between dry off and 1 to 3 DIM (tx = 20.2%, control = 25.4%), and had significantly fewer quarters affected by a clinical mastitis event between dry off and 60 DIM (tx = 5.9%, control = 8.0%). Multivariable analysis showed a significant effect of treatment, with treated quarters being 30% less likely to develop a new IMI between dry off and 1 to 3 DIM, 31% less likely to have an IMI present at 1 to 3 DIM, 33% less likely to experience a clinical mastitis event between dry off and 60 DIM, and having significantly lower linear score measures at 1 to 3 DIM and 6 to 8 DIM, compared with control quarters.
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/full/86/12/3899



The association of teat canal closure and other risk factors for new dry period intramammary infections - Dingwell, R. T., L. L. Timms, J. M. Sargeant, D. F. Kelton, Y. H. Schukken, and K. E. Leslie. 2003. Pages 298–299 in Proc. 42nd Annu. Mtg. National Mastitis Council, Inc., Madison WI. Mtg. Natl. Mastitis Counc., Forth Worth, TX.


The prophylactic effect of a dry-cow antibiotic against Streptococcus uberis - Williamson, J. H., M. W. Woolford, and A. M. Day. 1995. N.Z. Vet. J. 43:228–234.



Factors affecting the adherence of a dry cow teat seal - Leslie, K. E., K. J. Day, J. Tenhag, D. F. Kelton, T. F. Duffield, and T. L. Kerbler. 1999. Pages 136–137 in Proc. 38th Annu. Mtg. Natl. Mastitis Council, Arlington, VA. National Mastitis Council, Inc., Madison, WI.


An evaluation of the factors affecting the efficacy of a dry cow teat seal - Lim, G. H., K. E. Leslie, J. Morgan, B. Dow, D. Kelton, T. F. Duffield, and J. TenHag. 2000. Pages 245–246 in Proc. 39th Annu. Meet. of the National Mastitis Council. National Mastitis Council, Madison, WI.



The prophylactic effect of a teat sealer on bovine mastitis during the dry period and the following lactation - Woolford, M. W., J. H. Williamson, A. M. Day, and P. J. A. Copeman. 1998. N.Z. Vet. J. 46:12–19.



The Effect of an Intramammary Teat Seal on New Intramammary Infections - E. A. Berry and J. E. Hillerton Institute for Animal Health, Compton, Berkshire RG20 7NN, United Kingdom J. Dairy Sci. 85:2512-2520

As concern over the possible overuse of antibacterials increases, attention has focused on reduction of antibiotic usage and on nonantibiotic alternatives. A nonantibiotic intramammary teat sealant, Teat Seal (Cross Vetpharm Group Ltd., Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland), has been available in Ireland, in combination with an intramammary tube of cloxacillin. Teat Seal has been reformulated for use in cows with low cell counts as an alternative to antibiotic dry cow therapy at the end of lactation. The product is now marketed as Orbeseal (Pfizer Animal Health). A comparison between this teat sealant and no treatment was made on new intramammary infections and clinical mastitis, on all cows within four herds, and on low cell count cows in three herds. No cases of clinical mastitis in the dry period were observed in cows treated with Teat Seal (n = 197), whereas a significant number (6 cows) were observed in the untreated cows (n = 204). In all herds, significantly more new infections at calving were found in the untreated group (62 cows in the untreated group compared with 21 cows in the Teat Seal group). In those quarters where infections were first detected at calving, the incidence of clinical mastitis was significantly greater in the untreated group. Quarters in both treatment groups that were infected at drying off with Corynebacterium spp. or coagulase-negative staphylococci were not protected against new infections and had an increased risk of new infection by Streptococcus uberis. The results will inform those restricting their use of antibiotic dry cow therapy in alternative management strategies and the additional risk of new intramammary infection.
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/full/85/10/2512?ijkey=50a4d70eae9972fd9d1177bd378d07cd5d48d40d



Evaluation of the efficacy of an internal teat sealer during the dry period - J. N. Huxley, M. J. Greent, L. E. Green and A. J. Bradley Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford, UK. Journal of Dairy Science, Vol 85, Issue 3 551-561

The efficacy of an internal dry period teat sealer containing bismuth subnitrate (Product A; Teatseal, Cross Vetpharm Group Ltd, Ireland) was compared with a long-acting antibiotic preparation containing cephalonium (Product B; Cepravin Dry Cow, Schering-Plough Ltd, UK), by assessing the number of new intramammary infections (IMI) acquired during the dry period and the number of cases of clinical mastitis during the first 100 d of lactation. Selection of study animals was based on historical data. No cases of clinical mastitis and all routine cow level somatic cell counts <200,000 cells/ml during the previous lactation were used to select cows likely to be uninfected with a major pathogen at drying off. Compared with the antibiotic tube, quarters that received the teat sealer acquired significantly fewer new IMI caused by Escherichia coli, all Enterobacteriaceae, and all major pathogens combined. There was no significant differences in the number of IMI caused by any other major pathogen. There was no significant difference in the severity or number of quarter or cow cases of clinical mastitis between product groups. Sixty quarters (3.2%) were infected with major pathogens at drying off, 27 (2.9%) in teat sealer and 33 (3.5%) in antibiotic tube cows. The dry period cure rate was not significantly different (63% product A, 70% product B). This is the first controlled study to demonstrate the efficacy of an internal bismuth teat sealer in protecting quarters against new dry period IMI caused by major mastitis pathogens, particularly environmental organisms, under UK field conditions.
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/85/3/551.pdf?ijkey=8050d46418d689958aacfad6086b71ead61b111a



Protection Against Staphylococcus aureus Mastitis in Dairy Cows Using a Bismuth-Based Teat Seal Containing the Bacteriocin, Lacticin 3147 - D. P. Twomey,*,† A. I. Wheelock,†,‡ J. Flynn,§ W. J. Meaney,§ C. Hill,*,‡ and R. P. Ross† *National Food Biotechnology Centre and ‡Microbiology Department, University College Cork,
†Teagasc, Dairy Products Research Centre and §Dairy Production Centre, Moorepark,
Fermoy, Co. Cork§, Republic of Ireland 2000 J Dairy Sci 83:1981–1988

We assessed the effectiveness of a novel dry cow treatment containing lacticin 3147 using deliberate challenge studies in lactating cows. Infection-free quarters of lactating cows were infused with Teat seal (Cross Vetpharm Group, Ltd., Dublin, Ireland) combined with the food-grade bacteriocin, lacticin 3147. Natural infection of the teat was simulated by deliberately introducing Staphylococcus aureus into the teat duct and teat sinus. Relative to control quarters, teat seal plus lacticin 3147 reduced the number of teats shedding viable cells when an inoculum of either 1.7 103 or 6.8  103 cfu per teat was used. In addition, the numbers of challenge organisms in those teats from which S.
aureus was subsequently recovered were also reduced. However, when the concentration of bacteriocin in the teat seal formulation was reduced by approximately
50%, the number of teats shedding S. aureus cells was not reduced. These data indicate the potential for lacticin 3147 to prevent staphylococcal mastitis infections when a sufficient concentration of the bacteriocin is present. This study also highlights the application of a lactating-cow model to assess the effectiveness of antimicrobial intramammary products on mastitic cell populations.
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/83/9/1981.pdf


Applications:

Internal Teat Sealants For Mastitis Prevention - John H. Kirk, DVM, MPVM, Extension Veterinarian, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis
Tulare, CA
The mammary gland is known to be particularly at risk for new infections during the dry period and into early lactation. Dry cow antibiotic therapy in all quarters of all cows has been the additional method to reduce the effect of these new infections. Coupled with other NMC recommended mastitis control practices, this therapeutic strategy has successfully reduced the incidence of contagious mastitis. However, it has been clearly shown that total dry cow treatment will only persist and prevent new infections during the early portion of the dry period. For the major portion of the dry period, the mammary gland remains unprotected against new infections particularly environmental pathogens.
While changes in the mammary gland following complete involution may provide some level of protection during the middle of the dry period, the gland becomes increasingly susceptible to new infections as calving approaches. Full protection is also dependent on the formation of functional keratin plug within the teat canal. And studies have found that up to 50% of the teat canal may remain open without a keratin plug for up to 10 days after dry off.
An artificial teat sealant known as Orbeseal* has been developed to provide an internal plug for the teat canal at dry off. This internal seal consists of Bismuth Subnitrate in a paraffin base. This inert viscous paste is designed to be infused into the quarter at dry off. It will act as an internal teat sealant forming an immediate physical barrier sitting at the base of the teat cistern to prevent bacteria from ascending through the teat canal. Orbeseal can easily be stripped out of the gland at the first milking after calving. This material has been shown to cause no ill effects if sucked out of the quarter by the calf. It is also poses not threat to the environment or food. Orbeseal is currently approved and in use in New Zealand and the UK.
In the reported study, cows from two large Wisconsin free-stall dairies were randomly assigned to be treated in two quarters (LF/RR or RF/LR) with the antibiotic and sealant while two quarters in each cow remained as untreated controls. Each dairy was milking about 1000 cows. Any cows with clinical mastitis were excluded from the study. Cows were abruptly dried off once per week. Orbenin-D was used as the dry cow treatment along with Orbeseal. Milk samples were collected for culture from each quarter at dry off, 1-3 DIM and 6-8 DIM. Milk samples were also collected for somatic cell counting at these times. At calving, the Orbeseal was manually stripped from each quarter prior to collecting colostrum.
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vetext/INF-DA/InternalTeatSealant.pdf



PRACTICAL USAGE OF AN INTERNAL TEAT SEALER - J.N. Huxley and A.J. Bradley University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU Proceedings of the British Mastitis Conference (2002) Brockworth, p 92-93 Institute for Animal Health/Milk Development Council
Teat sealers (either internal or external) are designed to prevent new infections during the dry period by separating the mammary gland from the environment. They have no antibacterial properties and therefore are only appropriate for quarters that are not infected at drying off. Identifying infected quarters and treating them with antibiotic dry cow therapy will remain a fundamental part of any strategy for controlling mastitis.
Internal teat sealers containing bismuth subnitrate were originally developed in the 1970s by Meaney (4). In the late 1990s a product containing 65% bismuth subnitrate in a paraffin base was launched in New Zealand. It was demonstrated to be as good as antibiotic dry cow therapy at preventing new intramammary infections (IMI) during the dry period (5).
Recently the same internal teat sealer was studied under UK field conditions and shown to be better than the market leading antibiotic dry cow therapy at preventing new IMI during the dry period (3). The product studied has recently been launched onto the UK market as OrbeSealâ (Pfizer Animal Health, Sandwich, UK).
http://www.iah.bbsrc.ac.uk/BMC/2002/2002%20posters/Posters%20-%20PDF/pp92-93%20Huxley%20poster.pdf


Sealants Can Help Ward Off Mammary Infections - Ron Johnson Dairy Editor
When winter approaches, smart homeowners seal up cracks and crevices that can let cold air in and let warm air out. The same "seal it" philosophy can help dairy producers prevent new cases of mastitis and other types of intramammary infections.
But instead of using weather stripping, caulk and insulation, dairy farmers can use internal teat sealants and external teat sealants to protect their cows. Sandra Godden, a veterinarian and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, talked about teat sealants during the recent Midwest Dairy Herd Health Conference at Green Bay.
"Research to date has shown that both internal and external teat sealants, when properly applied, can result in a significant reduction in new intramammary infections during the dry period," Godden said. "Teat sealants...are very promising as additional management tools..."
http://www.agriview.com/articles/2003/11/26/dairy_news/producer03.txt


To Seal or Not To Seal: Internal Teat Sealant Strategies - Ann Wilkinson, Pfizer Animal Health, Atlanta, Georgia
Earlier this year, the first internal teat sealant, Orbeseal, was made available to US dairies. Although it is new to the North American market, it has been available abroad for several years, where it has been used primarily as an alternative to antibiotics.
Orbeseal consists of bismuth subnitrate formulated into an inert viscous malleable paste that does not have any antibiotic or antimicrobial properties. It is delivered in a tube and is infused into the teat end after drying off in a manner similar to infusing a dry cow antibiotic. After infusion it fills the fissures and folds of the teat canal thereby creating a seal preventing the entrance of pathogens through the dry period.
http://www.nmconline.org/articles/seal.pdf


New Tool Against Mastitis, But Wait For US - Brent Buchanan, Animal Science Specialist
Mastitis has been an age-old issue in the world of dairying. Standard practice on most dairies has included year round dry-cow treatment with an intramammary infusion of a long-acting antibiotic. Such long-acting formulations are designed to stay in the teat canal as a biologically active compound for longer periods of time compared to standard lactation therapy antibiotic formulations. These products do an admirable job in reducing both existing infections at the end of the lactation as well as new infections that develop over the final phase of pregnancy when the animal is not actively lactating.
Some consumer and even producer concerns over the use of antibiotics have been recently raised. These concerns have driven investigations into methods that can reduce such uses of antibiotics, while still allowing some control of the disease.
Additionally, since economic struggles in the dairy industry have become increasingly common in the standard milk market, increasing numbers of producers are transitioning to organic production techniques. Since organic regulations require that no antibiotics be used, methods of reducing mastitis infections without using the standard antibiotic arsenal are being pursued.
http://www.cce.cornell.edu/st.lawrence/documents/NewToolAgainstMastitis.doc