Design and validation of a dynamic discrete event stochastic simulation model of mastitis control in dairy herds

A dynamic stochastic simulation model for discrete events, SIMMAST, was developed to simulate the effect of mastitis on the composition of the bulk tank milk of dairy herds. Intramammary infections caused by Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus spp, other than Strep. agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus, and coagulase-negative staphylococci were modeled as were the milk, fat, and protein test day solutions for individual cows, which accounted for the fixed effects of days in milk, age at calving, season of calving, somatic cell count (SCC), and random effects of test day, cow yield differences from herdmates, and autocorrelated errors. Probabilities for the transitions among various states of udder health (uninfected or subclinically or clinically infected) were calculated to account for exposure, heifer infection, spontaneous recovery, lactation cure, infection or cure during the dry period, month of lactation, parity, within-herd yields, and the number of quarters with clinical intramammary infection in the previous and current lactations. The stochastic simulation model was constructed using estimates from the literature and also using data from 164 herds enrolled with Quality Milk Promotion Services that each had bulk tank SCC between 500,000 and 750,000/ml. Model parameters and outputs were validated against a separate data file of 69 herds from the Northeast Dairy Herd Improvement Association, each with a bulk tank SCC that was greater than or equal to 500,000/ml. Sensitivity analysis was performed on all input parameters for control herds. Using the validated stochastic simulation model, the control herds had a stable time average bulk tank SCC between 500,000 and 750,000/ml.