Typology of milking management: analysis of risk factors for subclinical mastitis

Despite the produced milk volume, its quality is one of the barriers for technological development and consolidation of the dairy industry in Brazil. Among the barriers is the milk somatic cell count, which is the indicator used in most control programs and prevention of mastitis. In order to identify characteristics in the management of milking and to quantify risk factors that increase subclinical mastitis and its main bacterial agents, data were collected in situ on dairy farms in western Parana. The data collection consisted in the application of two questionnaires, in accompanying a milking procedure, and in collection of CMT positive milk samples from three cows. Using the statistical method of multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) we came to a total of 12 variables to be studied, and to the formation of dimension 1 and 2 with respectively 28.54% and 21.06% of the explained variance. With the hierarchical ascending classification analysis it was possible to reduce the initial population of 112 cows to produce four homogeneous groups (G1, G2, G3, G4). The milking handling characteristics, as type of milking, drying teats before milking, treatment for cases of clinical mastitis, milker's hand hygiene and as training of officers, were identified as risk factors for subclinical mastitis with isolation of a coagulase negative Staphylococcus, which was the most prevalent agent in milk samples of subclinical mastitis.