D. Belay 1, J. Verbeke 2, K. Yisehak1, D. Solomon 1, S. Belew1, S. Devliegher 3, G.P.J. Janssens 2 1 Department of Animal Science, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia; 2 Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium; 3 Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium D. Belay 1, J. Verbeke 2, K. Yisehak1, D. Solomon 1, S. Belew1, S. Devliegher 3, G.P.J. Janssens 2 1 Department of Animal Science, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia; 2 Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium; 3 Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium DiscussionDiscussion Material and Methods Results and Discussion IntroductionIntroduction ReferencesReferences Milk production was on average low (Table 1) Fat and protein content of the milk was less than that reported by Fekadu and Michalak, 1988; Zinash et al., 1988) for crossbred cows around Holeta and Addis Ababa The SCC ranged from 142 to 3154 per µl on a farm basis. Prevalence of subclinical mastitis based on SCC was 71.15% Plasma Cu concentrations were on average below the threshold for deficiency (Table 2). Kincaid (1999) indicated that marginal deficiency of plasma copper is 0.7 to 0.9µ/ml and it is considered adequate when the level is 0.9 to 1.1 A positive correlation was found between SCC and milk production (r = 0.782). Plasma Cu and geometric SCC average per farm were negatively correlated (r = ). This suggests that Cu deficiency increased the susceptibility of dairy cattle for mastitis k - Mastitis is a serious disease of dairy animals causing great economic losses due to reduction in milk yield, as well as lowering its nutritive value (Allore, 1993). - In Ethiopia, bovine mastitis is one of the most frequently encountered diseases of dairy cows (Lemma et al., 2001). -mastitis results from immune system failure of the cow -there is a strong relationship between blood concentrations of micronutrients and immune function. -Lack of specific nutrients can impair proper resistance against mastitis pathogens. -Particularly microminerals influence some aspects of immune function (Smith et al., 1994). Harmon et al. 1994; Scaletti et al. (2003) ) found Cu-supplemented cows and heifers had fewer infected mammary gland. →AIM: investigate whether micromineral status is related with mastitis parameters and whether micromineral supplementation would be a useful strategy to improve disease resistance, hence mastitis incidence in dairy cattle Allore, H. G., A review of the incidence of mastitis in buffaloes and cattle. Pakistan Vet. J., 13: 1-7. Fekadu Beyene and Michalak, B.W Composition and quality of milk delivered to Addis Abeba milk plant and the effect of transportation on quality. Second national livestock improvement conference, February, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Pp Harmon, R. J., and P. M. Torre Copper and zinc: do they influence mastitis? Pages in Proc. National Mastitis Council. Orlando, FL. Kincaid, R.L., Assessment of trace mineral status of ruminants: A review. Proceedings of the American Society of Animal Science, Lemma M, Kassa T and Tegegene A 2001 Clinically manifested major health problems of crossbred dairy herds in urban and periurban production systems in the central high lands of Ethiopia. Journal of Tropical Animal Health and Production 33: 85–89 Scaletti, R.W., D.S. Trammell, B.A. Smith, and R.J. Harmon Role of dietary copper in enhancing resistance to Escherichia coli mastitis. J. Dairy Sci. 86: Smith, K.L Standards for somatic cells in milk; physiological and regulatory. Mastitis Newsletter, Newsletter of the ID, 144: 7. Zinash, S. Seyoum, B. Michalak, B.W. and Teshome, K. (1988). Observations on the fat and protein contents of the milk of crossbred and local cows. In: Proceedings of the second National Livestock Improvement Conference, February, Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Pp A survey was conducted in 11 dairy farms in Jimma town -feed samples were collected from 11 farms -milk and blood sample was collected from 52 lactating cows -Blood plasma and feed samples were anaysed for micronutrients -Milk samples were analysed for protein, fat and determination of somatic cell count (SCC). Plate 2. Micromineral deficiency is one of the factors for cattle deaths due to reduced immunity The fact that high SCC coincided with high milk yield is likely because of the higher susceptibility of high-producing Holstein genotypes versus low- producing zebu breeds. The overall high SCC figures indicate that the mastitis problem is commonly present. The data further demonstrate that Cu is clearly deficient at the urban dairy farms, and is associated with increased SCC, hence susceptibility for mastitis. Therefore, an intervention study needs to be conducted whether Cu supplementation can alleviate this mastitis susceptibility. Relationship between micromineral status and mastitis in urban dairy farms in Jimma, Ethiopia ParameterNMinMaxMean ± SD Milk yield ± 3.3 Fat (%) ± 0.2 Protein (%) ± 0.3 Mean individual and bulk tank SCC (cells/µL) Cow level ±1110 Bulk tank ±715 ConclusionConclusion This is PhD work done in the context of the IUC-JU project - Contacts: PhD student: Supervisor: Table 1. Average daily milk yield, chemical Composition and SCC (cells/µL) Appearance of a Cu deficient cow near the Gilgel Gibe Dam Plate 1 Appearance of a Cu deficient cow near the Gilgel Gibe Dam Table 2. Mineral content of blood plasma Mineral typeNMean ± SD Cu ±0.2 Fe ±8.7 Mg ±3.9 Mn ± 0.28 Na ± 44.6 Zn115.4 ± 2.5 P ± 14