The association between mastitis and reproductive performance in seasonally-calved dairy cows managed on a pasture-based system

The objective of this study was to assess association between clinical, subclinical mastitis, body condition score and the reproductive performance of cows under seasonally calving conditions in a pasture-based management system. Data from 182 cows calved during 2008 were analyzed. Chi-square and logistic regression were performed considering pregnancy at the end of breeding season and number of services as dependent variables, whereas clinical and subclinical mastitis and other variables related to the animal that could have an effect on the dependent variables (e.g. parity, BCS, concurrent diseases) were considered as independent variables. Lactation number, calving difficulty, interval from calving to the beginning of breeding season and body condition score had a significant effect on pregnancy at the end of breeding season. Cows with one or two lactations (P = 0.031), those with no difficulty at calving (P = 0.003), those with more days from calving to the beginning of breeding season (P = 0.001), and those with body condition score > 2.5 (P = 0.007) were most likely to become pregnant. Subclinical mastitis affected reproductive performance increasing the number of services (P = 0.03). Also, breeding season influenced number of services, since summer-calving cows needed more services to become pregnant (P = 0.046). Clinical mastitis was not associated with pregnancy as a final measure of reproductive performance (P = 0.863). Although subclinical mastitis influenced reproductive performance, several parameters related to reproductive and nutritional management, significantly affected the outcome variables under experimental conditions of this study. This information can be valuable to improve reproductive performance in similar management systems.