FastMast – instrument for early detection of mastitis

Mastitis is the most common disease in cows, but also the most expensive disease for treatment. In the herd without properly animal control, almost 40% of cows suffer from mastitis and the analysis shows that mastitis damage is on average 200 € per animal and any progress in early detection of mastitis brings savings in M€s. Mastitis begins by bacterial infection through the teat duct and enter the cisternal area. The disease is mostly transmitted by contaminated hands or milking machines.

We have developed a simple and inexpensive device for early detection of mastitis with a 70-80% accuracy, called FastMast, which employs the effect that in the early stage of mastitis, cells membrane is damaged inside the mammary gland, resulting in increased concentration of Na+ and Cl- ions in milk. It is aimed to small farmers and untrained people due to its low cost, simple handling and maintenance.