Vet World   Vol.18   September-2025  Article - 14 

Hematological and mineral alterations associated with subclinical mastitis in dairy cattle following the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in West Java, Indonesia

Background and Aim: Subclinical mastitis (SCM) remains a pervasive and economically significant disease in the dairy indus­try worldwide. In Indonesia, its prevalence has been amplified by poor management and environmental conditions, with incidence further exacerbated by the 2022–2023 foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. This study aimed to investigate the hematological and blood mineral profiles of dairy cows with varying severities of SCM in West Java, thereby identifying disease-associated alterations that may improve detection and management strategies.

Materials and Methods: A total of 155 blood samples and 620 milk samples were collected from Holstein-Friesian dairy cows across five high-density dairy regions in West Java between July and November 2024. Somatic cell counts (SCC) were determined using the Breed method and cows were categorized into three groups: Group A (0–100 × 103 cells/mL), group B (100–400 × 103 cells/mL), and group C (>400 × 103 cells/mL). Hematological profiles were assessed using an auto­mated analyzer, while serum calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) concentrations were measured through atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance, Kruskal–Wallis, and Spearman’s correlation tests.

Results: Elevated SCC was associated with significant increases in total leukocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes (p < 0.05), with a higher prevalence of leukocytosis (26.23%), neutrophilia (15.15%), and lymphocytosis (21.88%) observed in group C cows. Blood Ca levels increased significantly with SCC (r = 0.31, p < 0.01), despite overall hypocalcemia being widespread (44.78%–73.81%). Erythrocyte counts, hemoglobin, and hematocrit showed declining trends with rising SCC, though not statistically significant. No significant correlation was observed between SCC and P levels.

Conclusion: Increased leukocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and Ca levels are strongly linked to elevated SCC in SCM. These blood-based parameters, particularly leukocyte and Ca profiles, show promise as alternative diagnostic indicators under low-resource conditions where SCC testing is limited. This study presents one of the most comprehensive datasets on post-FMD SCM in Indonesian dairy herds, highlighting the potential for developing low-cost diagnostic markers to enhance early detection and improve herd management.

Keywords: blood minerals, dairy cattle, hematological profile, Indonesia, somatic cell count, subclinical mastitis.

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How to cite this article: Tarigan R, Lukman DW, Latif H, and Pisestyani H (2025) Hematological and mineral alterations associated with subclinical mastitis in dairy cattle following the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in West Java, Indonesia, Veterinary World, 18(9): 2723-2732.

Received: 03-05-2025   Accepted: 12-08-2025   Published online: 18-09-2025

Corresponding author: Herwin Pisestyani    E-mail: herwinpi@apps.ipb.ac.id

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.2723-2732

Copyright: Tarigan, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.