Background: The somatic cell count (SCC) of individual cow samples is a useful proxy for monitoring udder health status.
Aims: The present study aimed to provide updated information about udder health in Iranian Holstein dairy cattle, and to quantify the effectiveness of the mastitis control program.
Methods: A total of 17,990 monthly test-day records from 1,663 Holstein dairy cattle in 10 "regular" herds and 2,389 test-day records from 386 Holstein dairy cattle in 2 herds that were assigned to the 10-point mastitis control program ("controlled" herds) were included. Each test-day record comprised the date of recording, daily milk production (kg), fat and protein (%), days in milk, parity, and SCC.
Results: Median (Q1-Q3) SCC × 103 for "regular" and "controlled" herds were 136 (52-391) and 64 (24-204) cells/ml, respectively. Also, the percentage of records containing SCC >200,000 cells/ml (elevated SCC) for these groups were 40.3% and 25.5%, respectively. Mixed effects logistic analysis revealed that milk records from cows in the first lactation, early lactation, and with >40 kg daily milk yield had lower odds of elevated SCC. The odds of elevated SCC were lower in summer and autumn than in winter.
Conclusion: Host and environmental characteristics influence SCC. This should be considered for the interpretation of SCC results. Mastitis control programs can support dairy producers to reach a standard level of udder health.
Keywords: Dairy cow; Iran; Mastitis control program; Somatic cell count; Udder health.