Somatic cell count as an indicator of subclinical mastitis and increased inflammatory response in asymptomatic lactating women.

ABSTRACT: Subclinical mastitis is an asymptomatic inflammatory condition that can be difficult to define and diagnose. In the dairy industry, subclinical mastitis is diagnosed by milk somatic cell counts (SCCs) of ≥250,000 cells mL^-1. In this pilot study, we assessed the efficacy of this index to identify human subclinical mastitis by comparing SCC levels with the inflammatory response [interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels] in 37 samples from asymptomatic and 10 clinical mastitis (CM) lactating women. The milk microbiota was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The SCC of CM samples ranged from 310,000 to 6,600,000 cells mL^-1. However, 14 of 37 (37.8%) asymptomatic samples had high SCC (250,000-460,000 cells mL^-1), indicating subclinical mastitis. SCC levels significantly

SUBMITTER: Angelopoulou A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11448179 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature