Comparison of Cow-Side Diagnostic Tests for the Prevalence of Estimating Bovine Subclinical Mastitis in Sirajganj District of Bangladesh

Authors

  • Tazin Khandoker Animal Welfare and Behavior Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
  • Md Morsalin Animal Welfare and Behavior Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
  • Tasnim Binte Hassan Animal Welfare and Behavior Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
  • M Ariful Islam Arif Animal Welfare and Behavior Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6657-0300

Keywords:

Bovine mastitis, Dairy cow, Udder health, Electrical conductivity, California Mastitis Test, Somatic cell count

Abstract

Subclinical mastitis (SCM) is a major udder health problem in dairy cows because affected quarters show no visible abnormality in milk or udder appearance, yet milk yield and milk quality may be reduced. In Bangladesh, routine laboratory confirmation of SCM is not always accessible to smallholder and semi-intensive farms; therefore, practical cow-side screening tools are important for early detection. This cross-sectional on-farm study compared three cow-side tests for estimating SCM prevalence in lactating dairy cows in Sirajganj district, Bangladesh. A total of 380 lactating cows from 72 dairy farms were clinically examined to exclude clinical mastitis and then screened at quarter level using the California Mastitis Test (CMT; ImmuCell CMT test kit), UdderCheck® milk test strips, and milk electrical conductivity/resistance-related testing using a Dramiński Mastitis Detector MD4X4Q2. Cow-level SCM status was defined as positive when at least one functional quarter was positive by the respective test. Cow-level SCM prevalence was 45.8% (95% CI: 40.8-50.8) by CMT, 41.1% (95% CI: 36.2-46.1) by UdderCheck® and 37.9% (95% CI: 33.2-42.9) by Dramiński EC, while 52.4% (95% CI: 47.3-57.3) of cows were positive by at least one of the three tests. Quarter-level prevalence was 23.4%, 20.9% and 18.9%, respectively. Pairwise agreement was substantial between CMT and UdderCheck® (κ = 0.63) and moderate between CMT and Dramiński EC (κ = 0.53) and between UdderCheck® and Dramiński EC (κ = 0.54). These findings indicate that cow-side tests are practical tools for herd-level SCM screening in Bangladesh, with CMT detecting the highest proportion of affected cows and EC testing providing rapid supportive information. Combining cow-side tests may improve confidence in field screening where somatic cell count (SCC) or bacteriological culture is unavailable.

Res. Agric. Livest. Fish. 13(2): 341-348

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Published

2026-09-17

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Livestock

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Copyright (c) 2026 Tazin Khandoker, Md Morsalin, Tasnim Binte Hassan , M Ariful Islam Arif

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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How to Cite

Tazin Khandoker, Md Morsalin, Tasnim Binte Hassan, & Arif, M. A. I. (2026). Comparison of Cow-Side Diagnostic Tests for the Prevalence of Estimating Bovine Subclinical Mastitis in Sirajganj District of Bangladesh. Research in Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries, 13(2), 341-348. https://doi.org/10.3329/ralf.v13i2.93336