FAQ

First Defense^® | Wipe Out^® Dairy Wipes | CMT | MASTiK^®

 

First Defense^®

When should First Defense^® be given to the calf?
First Defense^® should be administered within the first 12 hours after the calf is born.  Most dairy producers find it convenient to be given during the first colostrum feeding.

Can First Defense^® be administered after 12 hours?
First Defense^® is made directly from colostral antibodies, so for the same reasons why you give colostrum right away, the sooner First Defense^® is given the better the absorption. A newborn calf’s digestive tract is highly permeable, and anything that enters will be absorbed by the blood stream. The amount of absorption decreases over time, and does so dramatically after 12 hours of birth, with 50-75% absorption already complete. After 24 hours, the gut closes and antibodies are no longer absorbed. 

Should First Defense^® be given before or after colostrum?
Efficacy is not affected either way, but we recommend giving First Defense^® after the first colostrum feeding, especially if tube feeding. This allows the calf to develop a suckling reflex prior to dosing, and may enhance the delivery of the bolus by lubricating the throat.

Do I need to use a bolus gun?
To help ensure proper delivery to the esophageal opening, we strongly recommend the use of a correct-fitting dosing gun. The use of dosing guns with internal flanges or undersized openings may fracture the bolus shell, while guns with oversized openings could allow the bolus to slip.  Alternatively, the contents of the bolus may be emptied and dissolved in warm water, milk replacer or colostrum. Just be certain that the calf receives the full dose, so be cautious that the contents don’t spill or stick to the side of the container being used.

How much IgG is in a bolus?
- The amount varies from serial to serial.  A bolus can hold approximately 5g of powder, of which greater than 50% is IgG. However, the efficacy attributed to First Defense^® is due to the specificity of the antibodies, not the quantity. First Defense^® is tested before release to ensure guaranteed levels of protection for two of the main causes of scours, K99+ E. coli and coronavirus.

I am using a pouched colostrum supplement (or replacer) - why should I give First Defense^®?
Those products may help to increase the overall IgG levels in the calf, but do not have the specific disease protection found with First Defense^®.  First Defense^® is the only product on the market with USDA-approved claims to reduce mortality and morbidity from K99+ E. coli and coronavirus, two of the main causes of scours. When it comes to protecting your calf from scours, the quality of the antibodies given is critical.

How long does it take for a First Defense^® bolus to fully dissolve?
The bolus and its contents should dissolve within approximately 15-20 minutes.

How long will First Defense^® protect the calf?
The antibodies in First Defense^® are re-secreted throughout the period of risk of exposure, protecting the calf until its immune system becomes more developed.

I gave a second First Defense^® bolus by mistake. Will this harm the calf?
Administering additional boluses will not harm the calf in any way.

 

Wipe Out^® Dairy Wipes

What is the size of the towel?
Wipe Out^® Dairy Wipes are approximately 8”x 8” in size.  Wipe Out^® has been tested to effectively sanitize all four teats with one wipe.  However, Wipe Out^® is not meant to be used as an udder wash, so there are times when more than one wipe may be necessary. We have customers that routinely rank in the top of their local DHIA’s and have won milk quality awards using Wipe Out^®.

Will Wipe Out^® clean the teats as well as iodine and paper/cloth towels?
The use of a pre-dip, whether it is iodine or Wipe Out^®, is not meant to replace the use of an udder wash. Excess dirt or manure should be removed prior to pre-dipping in order for the pre-dip to be effective.  Otherwise, while the teats may appear clean, the bacteria that cause mastitis may still be present. With Wipe Out^®, you can be sure that the teats are properly sanitized and ready for milking.

How long does it take for Wipe Out^® to biodegrade?
It varies depending on the environment and weather. We do know that the fibers used to make each towel are biodegradable.

 

CMT

What if I over diluted my CMT reagent?
The gelling properties of the test are not affected by minimal over dilution.

Will the CMT indicate how many SCC’s are present in the milk sample?
The CMT will give you a range of the SCC’s to help you assess the likelihood and severity of a mastitis infection, but it does not give an exact count.

If the CMT reagent is frozen, is it OK to use?
Be sure to reconstitute it properly before using, but this should not affect the product’s ability to perform the test.

If the CMT reagent or working solution becomes discolored, is it OK to use?
Discoloration will not affect the gelling reaction that occurs in mastitis, however it may make the reaction more difficult to view. Most water is slightly acidic, so just adding a few drops of CMT concentrate could possibly turn it orange/yellow. If this occurs, go ahead and prepare the working solution as directed.  If the reagent is discolored before dilution, or remains orange/yellow after diluting, the CMT reagent may be too acidic. Notify either your distributor or ImmuCell and it will be replaced free of charge.

Does bottled water containing added minerals (e.g., magnesium sulfate and potassium bicarbonate) affect the CMT?
The added minerals are not expected to have much of an effect on the gelling reaction, but they could change the color of the reagent.

Will the CMT work with milk from animals other than cows?
ImmuCell does not have validation data on the CMT’s use on other animals.  However, there are many field studies and related articles that have reported successful usage with other animals, such as goats and sheep.

 

MASTiK^®

What does it mean if the entire test panel remains purple after incubation?
This is not uncommon, and it is likely due to one of the following explanations:  

• The presence of non-lactose fermenting bacteria (e.g., Pseudomonas species, Prototheca, Mycoplasma species, and yeasts). These organisms are less frequently found to be the cause of mastitis, and treatment with antibiotics is not usually successful.  
• No bacteria are present in the milk. This can occur in some cases of acute coliform mastitis, where the bacteria have died before the sample was taken.  It also occurs when the leukocytes in the milk engulf all the bacteria – these cases sometimes cure spontaneously. Statistics from various studies suggest that up to 30% of the samples brought in for testing show no presence of bacteria.
• Bacterial numbers in the milk are very low or slow growing. This can occur in some subclinical or chronic cases.  With these type of samples it is recommended to increase the pre-incubation period (Step 6 in instruction booklet) to 6-8 hours.
• The cow was treated with an antibiotic within 72 hours of collecting the milk sample.
• Prolonged storage of the sample in extreme conditions, thereby destroying the organisms.

Any of these occurrences may also explain why some cows appear to respond to antibiotic treatment, even though MASTiK^® did not show any color changes. Many of the pitfalls of no growth can be better managed if the sample is cultured on agar in conjunction with performing the MASTiK^® test.

During the incubation period, why did all of the wells (including the negative control well) change color?

This can occur with unusually high numbers of rapidly growing bacteria, especially if the plate is not checked at frequent intervals. In some cases of acute mastitis, the plate is readable in as little as 3 or 4 hours. It is more likely to happen if the reagent/sample mixture begins to change color during the pre-incubation step. If overgrowth does occur, do one of the following: 1) re-perform the test using the original sample saved in the refrigerator, but omit the pre-incubation step and add the reagent/sample mixture directly into the test panel wells; or 2) add 1 mL of the reagent/sample mixture to a new reagent tube, again omitting the pre-incubation step, and add the reagent/sample mixture directly into the test panel wells. Be sure to check the plate every 2-4 hours for color changes.

Overgrowth can also occur with a contaminated samples. Be sure to use proper aseptic milk sampling and handling techniques.

Why are the color changes dramatic in some tests, but difficult to read in others?

The pH of mastitic milk samples may vary from case to case, causing the original color of the reagent/sample mixture to vary. Also, some mastitis-causing pathogens are more prolific lactose fermenters than others.  Regardless, each test performed should be interpreted independently. As a general rule, growth (resistance) in a test well is indicated by a change in color that is similar to the change in the positive control well, and no growth (susceptibility) in a test well is indicated by no color change when compared to the negative control well. 

In cases where the reaction is difficult to interpret, extending the incubation period a few hours will often convert “intermediate” wells to resistant wells, improving the readability. 

What are the concentrations of the antibiotics in each well?
The wells on the left represent the therapeutic dose levels, the concentration of the antibiotics most routinely given. The wells on the right correspond to hyper-therapeutic dose levels (generally 4-8 times stronger than the therapeutic doses).  These dosage levels may be difficult to maintain in the udder and are provided for information purposes only.  Any treatment options should be discussed with your veterinarian.

Will incubating the unused test panels have any effect on future testing?
No, it will not affect the performance of the future tests.

Can the MASTiK^® test panels be used more than once?
The wells of the test panels included in the MASTiK^® kit are coated with the appropriate concentrations of the antibiotics, as described in the instruction booklet.  Once the reagent with sample is added, the antibiotics in the wells react with the bacteria in the reagent/sample mixture and will cause the color to change in reactions which are recorded as "susceptible". Therefore, once the test panel is used it cannot be reused.

What does it mean if growth occurs in the higher concentration well of a particular antibiotic, but not in the lower concentration well of the same antibiotic?
This is know as a “skip” and occurs when there is an uneven distribution of bacterial numbers when the wells are filled.  This can be caused by not mixing the reagent/sample mixture adequately, or if flakes (which are coated with high numbers of bacteria) are pipetted into some wells. One skip on a plate is acceptable and should be ignored. If more than one skip occurs, it is likely that the sample was contaminated. To best prevent this, follow aseptic technique when collecting milk samples.