CXCL8 and mastitis: Given the unreliability of using Na+ levels in milk for identifying mammary inflammation (19), the significant correlation between SCC and IL-8 levels identified in this study and that of Hunt et al. (19), as well as the universal use of the dairy index for identifying subclinical mastitis in the dairy industry (24, 25), SCC may prove more advantageous than previous indicators of human mastitis.