DOI: https://doi.org/10.5513/JCEA01/27.2.5143
Original scientific paper
Milk quality in Holstein dairy herds with and without antimastitis intradermal vaccination in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands (Czech Republic)
2026, 27 (2) p. 303-317
Oto HANUŠ, Jiří MAŠEK, Hana NEJESCHLEBOVÁ, Monika RYCHLÍKOVÁ, Josef KUČERA, Klára ŠAŠKOVÁ, David LIPOVSKÝ, Irena NĚMEČKOVÁ, Eva SAMKOVÁ, Lucie HASOŇOVÁ, Mohammed ILIYASU, Marcela KLIMEŠOVÁ, Radoslava JEDELSKÁ
Abstract
Vaccination is considered one of the potential tools to reduce antibiotic use in dairy herds by preventing mastitis. This study compared milk yield (2024) and milk quality (June 2022–2024) in two groups of Holstein herds in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands (the Czech Republic): eight vaccinated herds and eight unvaccinated herds. The groups were comparable in days in milk, calving interval, and altitude. A periodic intradermal autogenous vaccine targeted gram-negative pathogens. Milk yield was slightly higher in unvaccinated herds (vaccinated vs. unvaccinated: 1st lactation 10,372 ± 935 vs. 10,503 ± 2,139 kg; later lactations 11,510 ± 1,270 vs. 11,780 ± 2,491 kg). The somatic cell count (187 ± 71 vs. 178 ± 47 10³/ml; P<0.001) and the total count of mesophilic microorganisms (TCM; 23.1 ± 68.4 vs. 15.0 ± 41.5 10³ CFU/ml; P<0.01) were slightly higher in vaccinated herds. The count of coliform bacteria (COLI) was 9.7 ± 24.1 vs. 17.3 ± 34.7 CFU/ml (P>0.05), which may indicate the vaccine’s focus on gram-negative pathogens. To assess longer-term trends, bulk tank milk samples from the pre-vaccination period (2021–May 2022) were also included. Comparison of pre- and post-vaccination periods showed observable improvements over time in vaccinated herds, more notably increased fat (2.9%), lactose (0.61%), and solids-not-fat (0.56%), and reduced free fatty acids (–3.23%), TCM (–9.09%, based on geometric means), and COLI (–60%, based on geometric means). Overall, vaccination was associated with slight improvements in several milk quality indicators, which tended to move closer to those observed in unvaccinated herds.
Keywords
somatic cell count, bulk tank milk, autogenous vaccine, gram-negative mastitis pathogens, antibiotic reduction
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