Mycoplasmal bovine mastitis is one of the most expensive types of intramammary infection on a per-case basis. A research project at Utah State University sought to determine the percentage of dairy herds infected with mycoplasmal bovine mastitis and, at the same time, launch an outreach and prevalence reduction program offered to every dairy producer whose herd was found positive for the disease.

In 2010, these efforts helped reduce by half the frequency of mycoplasmal mastitis found in Utah dairy herds. The direct benefit of reducing the number of mycoplasma-positive dairy cows in Utah is $90,000 per year, and reduced herd-point sources of infected animals to other herds over time saves more than an estimated $100,000 per year.

This same research project also measured the effects of relatively new tests that use milk as the specimen from individual cows to test for Johne’s disease (instead of using the cow as the specimen itself), resulting in increased testing of dairy cows in Utah for Johne's. Based on the preliminary data from demonstration herds, a reduction by 4 percent of total Utah dairy cows in Johne's disease prevalence (66 percent reduction from the initial 6 percent prevalence of all cows) could be achieved. This would save $1.05 million annually in Utah as a direct benefit of reduced dairy cow Johne's disease.