Do mastitis-causing bacteria affect the PIC?
Murphy: Most mastitis bacteria aren’t capable of significant growth under the conditions of the PIC. There may be exceptions to the rule since many different strains of bacteria cause mastitis. It’s important to compare the PIC to the SPC. If a PIC is used alone, a high count that consists primarily of a mastitic organism may be misinterpreted. The PIC was designed primarily to detect deficiencies in hygiene, cleaning and sanitation procedures. Patteson: Rarely will mastitis-causing bacteria affect PIC. Udder contents don’t tend to affect PIC, but udder surfaces can, especially when predipping is inadequate or nonexistent. 3. How can PICs vary so much from day to day? Murphy: The bacteria that multiply at PI temperatures are contaminants. Variability in the PIC on a dairy can result from different levels of contamination and the types of contaminating bacteria, which can change day-to-day. Different bacteria that may occur with dirty equipment or cows may have different growth rates. S
