Changes in the myoelectrical activity during electrical stimulation of healthy and mastitis-changed mammary glands in dairy cows

Czerski, Albert; Vasiľ, Milan; Elečko, Juraj; Farkašová, Zuzana; Zigo, František; Walski, Tomasz; Zawadzki, Wojciech; Gnus, Jan; Janeczek, Maciej; Chrószcz, Aleksander

doi:10.2754/avb201483030265

Acta Veterinaria > Archive > 2014, Vol. 83 > Issue 3 > Changes in the myoelectrical activity…

Acta Vet. Brno 2014, 83: 265-271

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb201483030265

Changes in the myoelectrical activity during electrical stimulation of healthy and mastitis-changed mammary glands in dairy cows

Albert Czerski¹, Milan Vasiľ², Juraj Elečko², Zuzana Farkašová², František Zigo², Tomasz Walski³, Wojciech Zawadzki¹, Jan Gnus⁴, Maciej Janeczek¹, Aleksander Chrószcz¹

¹Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Institute of Animal Physiology, Department of Animal Physiology and Biostructure, Poland
²University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Institute of Animal Breeding, Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Animal Breeding, Slovak Republic
³Wrocław University of Technology, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumentation, Regional Specialist Hospital in Wroclaw, Research and Development Centre, Poland
⁴Provincial Specialized Hospital, Research and Development Center in Wroclaw, General and Vascular Surgery Ward, Poland

The aim of this study was to develop a new method of mastitis diagnosis. The study was carried out on 14 highly productive dairy cows of Holstein-Friesian breed. The animals were divided into two groups. The first clinical group consisted of 7 animals with confirmed mastitis. The second control group consisted of 7 mastitis-free animals. Mastitis was confirmed by clinical examination, California Mastitis Test, and bacteriological examination of the milk. The recording of spontaneous myoelectrical activity of the udder was followed by the registration of the voltage of the electrical current passed through the udder using EMS (electrical muscle stimulator). An increase of 540% in the amplitude of spontaneous spike potentials recorded in the mastitis-changed udder compared to the healthy udder was noted. Simultaneously, a decrease of 54% in the voltage of current generated by the electrical muscle stimulator passed through the mastitis-changed udder compared to the healthy udder was observed. The method of diagnosing mastitis in dairy cows shown in this study can be an alternative to California Mastitis Test because of its simplicity, velocity and inexpensiveness.