Dairy Science Commons^™

The Incidence Of Staphylococcus Aureus Mastitis In Maine Dairy Cattle, Morgan Belvin

Honors College

This project investigated the factors surrounding the incidence of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) mastitis in Maine dairy cattle. This type of mastitis is driven by an antibiotic resistant pathogen that is very contagious among cattle, though farmers are often unaware of how common this type of mastitis is and that it could be present in their herds. My hypothesis was that specific farm factors, like milkers performing other tasks during milking, as well as the act of pre-dipping versus not pre-dipping, would explain the increase in SA mastitis. A thirty-seven-question IRB-approved survey was subsequently distributed to farmers in the University of …

How Weather Affects Total Mixed Rations And Why It Is Significant To Dairy Cattle, Juliana Baranowski

Honors College

The objective of this study was to determine how weather affects the dry matter percentage of a TMR fed to dairy cattle. Daily feed samples were collected from the University of Maine’s J.F. Witter Teaching and Research Center and stored in a freezer until dry matters could be determined. The feed samples were later thawed out, then placed in an oven at 60oC for a minimum of three days. This allowed all the moisture to be evaporated so the DM could be calculated. The maximum, minimum and average temperatures, as well as the precipitation and humidity were obtained daily from …

Testing The Effect Of Grapefruit Seed Extract (Gfse) On The Mastitsis-Causing Alga, Prototheca, Kendra Janelle Macdonald

Honors College

Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland that costs the United States dairy industry between $1.7 and $2 billion annually [9]. Approximately 97% of mastitis infections are caused by bacteria, which can be treated with antibiotics [2]. However, mastitis infections can be caused by the alga, Prototheca. Specifically, it is P. zopfii (genotype 2) and P. blaschkeae that have been found in cows with mastitis [7]. There are currently no approved treatments for protothecal mastitis. The following experiments a tested the effects of grapefruit seed extract (GFSE) on P. zopfii (genotype 2) using spectrophotometry and plating techniques. GFSE was …

Explorations, Vol. 3, No. 3, Tim Lyden, John Muth, James Leiby, Kevin Scully, Jayalakshmi "Jaya" Krishnagopalan, Ivar H. Stockel, Peter Wagner, Luanne L. Peters, Mark W. Anderson, Judy C. Gates, Cheryl Waltz, Paula Quatromoni, Douglas Kellogg, Kimberly Dagher, James Linehan

Explorations — A Journal of Research

Cover: Artwork by Marcia Spencer, University of Maine art student.

Articles include: "Characterization of Normal and Carcinogen Induced Neoplastic Cells of Teleost Origin," by Tim Lyden

"Attitutdes and Opinions of Maine Dairy Farmers," by John Muth and James Leiby

"Background: the quest for the eighteen month oyster," by Kevin Scully

"The Quest for the Eighteen Month Oyster," by Kevin Scully

"Measurement of Surface Tension of Kraft Black Liquor," by Jayalakshmi "Jaya" Krishnagopalan

"From the former student," by Jayalakshmi Krishnagopalan

"From the faculty advisor," by Ivar H. Stockel

"Aquatic Fungal Decomposers in Two Adjacent Maine Lakes of Different Acidity," by Peter …