Somatic Cell Count in milk is commonly used as an indicator of what udder condition?

• A. Mastitis
• B. Dehydration
• C. Fat content
• D. Protein content

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that somatic cell count reflects udder health by signaling an inflammatory and immune response in the mammary gland. When an infection like mastitis is present, white blood cells rush into the milk to fight bacteria, causing the somatic cell count to rise. This makes SCC a reliable indicator of mastitis, including subclinical cases where there are no obvious symptoms but the immune system is active. Higher SCCs are associated with reduced milk quality and can indicate contagious infection and animal welfare concerns. Dehydration changes overall milk concentration but doesn’t specifically indicate udder infection; fat and protein content describe milk composition rather than immune activity in the udder.