Advances in therapeutic and managemental approaches of bovine mastitis: a comprehensive review

Abstract

Mastitis (intramammary inflammation) caused by infectious pathogens is still considered a devastating condition of dairy animals affecting animal welfare as well as economically incurring huge losses to the dairy industry by means of decreased production performance and increased culling rates. Bovine mastitis is the inflammation of the mammary glands/udder of bovines, caused by bacterial pathogens, in most cases. Routine diagnosis is based on clinical and subclinical forms of the disease. This underlines the significance of early and rapid identification/detection of etiological agents at the farm level, for which several diagnostic techniques have been developed. Therapeutic regimens such as antibiotics, immunotherapy, bacteriocins, bacteriophages, antimicrobial peptides, probiotics, stem cell therapy, native secretory factors, nutritional, dry cow and lactation therapy, genetic selection, herbs, and nanoparticle technology-based therapy have been evaluated for their efficacy in the treatment of mastitis. Even though several strategies have been developed over the years for the purpose of managing both clinical and subclinical forms of mastitis, all of them lacked the efficacy to eliminate the associated etiological agent when used as a monotherapy. Further, research has to be directed towards the development of new therapeutic agents/techniques that can both replace conventional techniques and also solve the problem of emerging antibiotic resistance. The objective of the present review is to describe the etiological agents, pathogenesis, and diagnosis in brief along with an extensive discussion on the advances in the treatment and management of mastitis, which would help safeguard the health of dairy animals.

Keywords: bovine; cow; etiology; management; mastitis; review; therapeutics; treatment; welfare.

Figure 1.

Herbal therapy for treatment of mastitis. Different medicinal herbs possess anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.

Figure 2.

Use of immunotherapy for treatment of mastitis. 1. Microbeads carrying specific antibodies to the mastitis causing bacteria and an enhancer of phagocytosis, termed Y-complex was showing effects similar to sulfadiazine + trimethoprim or procaine penicillin + streptomycin or NSAIDs. 2. Interleukin-2 injection was showing increase of several milk markers related to white blood cell and epithelial cell functions including SCC, serum amyloid A (SAA), lactoferrin and NAGase. 3. Infusion of extract of Saccharomyces cerevisae yeast into mammary gland during the dry period caused an increase in the activity of immune cells in the gland, which could respond immediately to a new infection. 4. Specific IgY can be produced against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus increased phagocytic activity. 5. Use of anti-recombinant Streptococcus uberis adhesion molecule showed reduced clinical symptoms of mastitis, lower milk bacterial counts and lower infected quarters.