The effects of stage of lactation, parity and calving season on somatic cell counts in Anatolian Water Buffaloes

Abstract

The present research was conducted to determine the effects of parity, calving season and stage of lactation on the somatic cell count (SCC) in Anatolian water buffaloes reared different herd conditions. In total, 2,736 SCC readings from 456 Anatolian water buffaloes were analyzed. Data were evaluated by the stage of lactation (early, mid, and late), calving season, and parity with the SPSS package program. Significant effects of calving season, parity, and stage of lactation on SCC were observed (P<0.05). The average SCC was 90,701 +/- 6,372 cells/ml. The results indicated that the SCC of buffaloes were in accordance with, even considerably lower than, the limits indicated in the related regulations of the Turkish Food Codex and those of the European Union Commission. Further studies are necessary to investigate the development of the appropriate threshold values under the conditions of Turkey.