Mastitis, an infection of the milk-producing glands of dairy cows, is a $5 billion problem worldwide. The current, on-site method used to diagnose mastitis, and to monitor its incidence, is to count the total number of "body cells" (white cells and other body cells) present in the milk. There has been little change to this method over the last ten years. Academic studies, conducted with complex instruments, have shown that identifying and counting each of the different white cells, that rise and fall in response to infections, would be a superior method to diagnose and monitor mastitis, and to evaluate udder health. For example, the best indicator of an active bacterial infection is the rise in the number of one specific kind of infection-fighting white cell, known as a "neutrophil" Unfortunately, the complex instruments used in those academic studies are impractical for use in a dairy farm. Advanced Animal Diagnostics proposes to develop an "on site" device, the Inflammatory Cell Differential Counter (ICDC), which (1) has the ability to differentiate infection-fighting inflammatory cells-e.g. neutrophils-from other cells (2) requires minimum operator judgment or training, and (3) is more accurate than existing tools, especially at the early stages of infection. The ICDC takes a digital picture of each cell, which makes it less susceptible to misidentification and other errors. In summary, the ICDC is expected to bring to the farm a level of performance previously available only in a sophisticated laboratory, and yet, is envisioned to be simple, rugged and inexpensive. OBJECTIVES: Mastitis is a $5 billion problem worldwide. Over the last 10 years, there has been little change to the on-site methodology (SCC) used to diagnose mastitis, and to monitor its incidence. Availability of flow cytometry has brought a much better understanding of the role of the sub-populations of cells in milk, especially neutrophils. Researchers have pointed to the "differential inflammatory cell count" as being superior to the SCC for evaluation of udder health. However, a flow cytometer is impractical for use "on site". Advanced Animal Diagnostics (AAD) proposes to develop an "on site" device, the Inflammatory Cell Differential Counter (ICDC), which (1) has the ability to differentiate inflammatory cells, e.g. neutrophils and band neutrophils, (2) requires minimum operator judgment/training, and (3) is more accurate than existing tools, especially at low SCC counts. APPROACH: The ICDC uses direct-imaging identification of each cell, using multiple fluorescence wavelengths. This technique makes it less susceptible to background, misidentification and other errors. In summary, the ICDC is expected to bring to the farm a level of performance previously available only in a sophisticated laboratory, and yet, is envisioned to be simple, rugged and inexpensive. Phase I work provides the foundation of the multi-phase program by focusing on the ICDC tool itself---optimizing its performance and establishing its full range of capabilities in a laboratory environment. Once the program moves into Phase II, the optimized performance of the ICDC will make it possible to validate, in the field, on-site, the benefits of the "inflammatory cell differential" suggested by the flow cytometry studies referenced in the background literature, first in a research mod, then in the management of the herd. The following anticipated benefits would be investigated: (1) Differential SCC indexes that provide more information and could be more reliable and reproducible than the total SCC, (2) The ability to stage the disease and to describe it in more detail, (3) A better description of the disease course, (4) A more complete description of milk cell components that could provide a sharper definition of milk quality, and may be a better predictor of milk loss, (5) The use of the differential as a useful indicator for choosing which cows to culture, and (6) The use of the sharper, more detailed definition of milk quality in the payment of incentive bonuses to minimize potential producer-processor disputes and distrust.
