Abstract
We studied the effects of intravenous injection of vitamin B2 (VB2) on the mitogenic responses of peripheral blood lymphocytes, and on the somatic cell counts (SCC) in quarter milk of cows with clinical mastitis caused by environmental pathogens. Mitogenic responses for phytohaemagglutinin in the healthy heifers injected intravenously with a single dose of VB2 (2.5 or 5.0mg/kg) were significantly (p<0.05) higher on 3 or 5 days after injection, compared with the values before injection. In the mastitis cows intravenously injected with of VB2 (2.5 mg/kg) for 3 consecutive days, SCC were significantly (p<0.05, p<0.01) lower at 3, 7, and 14 days after initial injection, compared with values from before injection. Changes of SCC after VB2 injection were similar to those in the cows on antibiotic therapy. No significant change was observed in bacterial counts after VB2 injection. Therefore, intravenous injection of VB 2 might be an effective alternative to antibiotic therapy for bovine clinical mastitis caused by environmental pathogens.
