TNF and mastitis: Zhang et al. (2015) also reported increased SCC levels in lame cows and a positive correlation between lactate, interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and serum amyloid (SAA), further suggesting that mammary gland infection before dry-off could contribute to the development of diseases post-partum. In monitoring the impact of individual claw diseases on the prevalence of mastitis in dairy herds an association was found between clinical mastitis in the first 30 days in milk (DIM) and the presence of sole ulcer in early lactation [after 30 DIM (Watson et al. 2022)].