SBIR-STTR Award

Mastitis is the most prevalent disease in dairy herds world-wide and the reason for extensive production losses. The economic loss due to Mastitis last year in the US alone was 1.7 billion dollars. Milk yield and composition is affected by the Mastitis condition, the microbes that cause it, and/or prevention or segregation methods. Mastitis is a condition affecting cows and other mammals whereby the udder becomes inflamed due to bacterial presence and body response. Mastitis can reduce milk production through the need to discard affected or contaminated produced milk and through a decrease in herd size due to cow fatalities. Preventative techniques may remove cows from the milking cycle therefore reducing the quantity produced. Teat dipping, a commonly used preventative, may introduce unwanted biocides into bulk milk. Therapies, such as antibiotics, may require the milk to be discarded due to the presence of these antibiotics in the produced milk. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations predicts that a doubling of the global food production by 2050 will need be attained to satisfy the increasing population. Milk represents a vital nutrient source and maintaining biologically safe milk in the face of increasing demands will be difficult. With milk production an integral part of the world’s food supply and Mastitis a key factor in production loss, it is apparent that this condition demands new and innovative methods to stem or reduce the loss of cows, milk and associated products in all milking environments. The evaluation will be performed by the Animal Health Diagnostic Center of the Quality Milk Production Services (QMPS) associated with Cornell University Veterinary College. It will determine if iodine vapor as a bubble in a liquid reduces the counts of microbes on a teat surface without leaving a high level residue. It will expose contaminated teats to the iodine vapor bubble and perform tests to determine what the reduction is in the number of bacteria. QMPS conducts both applied and basic field research in Mastitis prevention techniques through its affiliation with the Epidemiology and Animal Health Diagnostic Centers at Cornell University and this association provides them with content area expertise. Furthermore, their expertise in biostatistics ensures the validity of this study design and the associated data analyses of this protocol. QMPS performs extensive research into new Mastitis control technology and programs to improve milk quality and food safety associated with Mastitis and milk hygiene. The antimicrobial and safety benefits iodine vapor perfusion may have wide ranging applications for the Federal Government and commercially for use in protecting water supplies, vegetable and fruit surfaces, animal carcasses, medical uses such as diabetic ulcerations, etc.

Worldwide, there is ever increasing demand for quality milk products and its consumption crosses all nationalities and socio-economic classes. Milk is the cornerstone of a balanced diet and is consumed abundantly in both developed and developing countries providing a source of nutrients in a vehicle that is easily consumed. Additionally, in the United States, hundreds of thousands of jobs are created through milking, processing and distribution, both for domestic and international sales, creating a $30 billion dollar a year industry. Safe, desirable milk is at the core of this industry. Mastitis is the persistent, inflammatory reaction of the udder to an irritant, which is many times caused by teat bacterial contamination. It affects milk production, causes milk to be unsuitable for consumption or export and is potentially fatal. It is the most common and costly disease in the dairy industry both in the United States and worldwide and accounts for a significant loss of milk. The treatment protocols currently used may render milk unsuitable through high antimicrobial or antibiotic residue. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations predicts that there needs to be a doubling of the global food production by 2050 to satisfy the increasing population. Milk represents a vital nutrient source and maintaining chemically and biologically safe milk in the face of ever increasing demand will be difficult. With milk production an integral part of the world’s food supply, it is apparent that control of Mastitis and environmental bacterial contamination demands innovative methods to stem or reduce the loss of cows, milk and associated products. Working in conjunction with the clinicians and researchers at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, a premier Mastitis research facility, I2 Air Fluid Innovations will evaluate the effects that I2infusion has on reducing microbes on cow teats and in fluids. I2infusion is the introduction of low dose iodine vapor, as a bubble, into a fluid to inactivate microbes. Although iodine is a well accepted antimicrobial for dairy applications, it has never been used in this manner. We will use approved and conventional methods to determine the protocol’s efficacy using conditions similar to those found on both industrial and rural farms. We will determine if I2 infusion improves current disinfectant techniques and minimizes antimicrobial residues thus reducing the occurrences of Mastitis while providing more desirable milk. Blending varied commercially available disinfectants with I2 infusion may improve their efficacy thus providing a new weapon for use against resistant microbes. The Quality Milk Production Services (QMPS) at Cornell University, with whom we will be collaborating, is a significant source for Mastitis research and information. This relationship provides an excellent conduit for the data generated by this study to other educational centers and industry. The protocols developed through this study could reduce the incidence of Mastitis worldwide, along with its associated costs, and improve the availability of safe, desirable milk for all societies. The technology would have the far reaching benefits in other industries and sciences where microbe control, without high biocide use, is desirable.