Somatic cell count

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Somatic cell count (SCC) is one of indicators of the quality of milk. Somatic cells are leucocytes (white blood cells). The number of somatic cells increases in response to pathogenic bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, a cause of mastitis. The SCC is quantified as cells per ml. General agreement rests on the values of less than 100,000 cells/ml for uninfected cows and greater than 300,000 for cows infected with significant pathogens. The somatic cell count in the milk also increases after calving when colostrum is produced.