Systemic monitoring of fresh cows is not a new idea, but until now, keeping track of infections early in lactation was difficult. Current bacterial culture processes can be a hassle, expensive and not always suitable for on-farm testing. Results may take days or weeks and can be confounded by false negatives or positives.
 

• A single case of mastitis during the first 30 days in milk is estimated to cost producers $444
• 30% is related to direct costs of treatment and discarded milk at the time of disease occurrence
• Majority of costs are indirect - future milk production losses, premature culling, replacement losses and future reproductive losses

By providing on-farm PCR technology, producers now have access to the fastest, most specific and convenient way to know if DNA associated with mastitis-causing organisms is present in the milk.