Lactation stage, parity, and infection affecting somatic cells, electrical conductivity, and serum albumin in milk.

Effects of stage of lactation and parity on cell concentration, electrical conductivity, and serum albumin concentration of milk from quarters of known infection status were examined. For quarters free from infection, somatic cell concentration rose from 80 to 160 x 10(3) cells/ml between 35 and infected with Staphylococcus aureus the increase was from 250 to about 1000 x 10(3) cells/ml. As lactation number advanced, there was little change in cell concentration for quarters free from infection, whereas for quarters infected with Staphylococcus aureus, cell concentration rose from approximately 450 x 10(3) cells/ml for first lactation to about 1500 x 10(3) cells/ml for cows in their sixth or more lactations. Trends in electrical conductivity were similar to those for cell concentration, with the main influence on electrical conductivity being Staphylococcus aureus infection. For serum albumin concentration only the effect os stage of lactation was significant. Concentration of serum albumin rose from 150 mg/liter at the beginning of lactation to 280 mg/liter at 215 days postpartum. Effects of stage and number of lactation were minor compared with effects of infection by Staphylococcus aureus.