The AccuMast® on farm diagnostic kit provides a fast, reliable and user-friendly solution to detecting specific causes of mastitis. Using ‘the power of colour’, diagnosis of all treatable mastitis pathogens can be achieved in just 16 hours, making selective antibiotic therapy in dairy herds a reality. The Accumast® system provides a valuable data capturing tool which would enhance any farm mastitis management programme and aid in reducing the cost of mastitis; improving cure rates; improving overall cow health; and ultimately improving profitability.
An independent study from two commercial dairy herds (N=299) evaluated four on-farm culture methods used to identify clinical mastitis-associated pathogens in dairy cattle (Ferreira et al., 2018). This study confirmed that AccuMast® had the highest overall accuracy, sensitivity and specificity compared to the other 3 commercially available test kits. Additionally, AccuMast® was the only on-farm system capable of correctly detecting Staphylococcus aureus (99% accurate). This independent corroboration of the AccuMast® system, in addition to its speed and ease of use put it a great position to be considered as a new gold standard for practical application of mastitis pathogen culturing.
The AccuMast® test kits are supplied in a pack of four petri dishes split into 3 sections (triplates). Section one detects gram negative bacteria (Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp., Serratia spp., E. coli., and Pseudomonas spp.) Section 2 detects Streptococcus spp. (S. uberis distinguished from other Streptococcus spp) as well as Entrerococcus spp. and Lactococcus lactis. In section 3 Staphylococcus aureus and Staphyloccocus haemolyticus can be distinguished from other Staphylococcus spp. Milk samples are directly applied onto each section of the plate and incubated for 16 hours at 37°C. After the incubation period, identification of the cause of a clinical mastitis case is achieved through simply observing the colour of the culture growing on a respective section of the plate, and comparing it to the easy-to-follow pictorial interpretation guide. This information can then be used to make an informed decision on whether to treat or not, choice of antibiotic, or any other mastitis management steps that need to be taken for a particular case.
For more information on how AccuMast® can help improve cow health and farm profitability, please contact Calibre Control on 01925 860 401, or info@calibrecontrol.com
