Determination of Milk Somatic Cells Using Fluorescence Microscopy

Abstract

Milk somatic cell counts have up to the last few years been performed by the method of Prescott and Breed only. This method involves the preparation of a smear of 0.01 ml on 1 cm² of a microscopic slide, defattening, staining, and counting within an arbitrary fixed area of the smear using ordinary microscopy. Electronic counting methods involving Coulter counters represent a development of comparatively recent date. The principle of these methods involves the counting of all elements of the size of the somatic cells. Both methods are rather time-consuming.