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Review
. 2023 Apr 13;28(8):3425.
doi: 10.3390/molecules28083425.

Plant Essential Oils as a Tool in the Control of Bovine Mastitis: An Update

Alice Caneschi  1 , Anisa Bardhi  1 , Andrea Barbarossa  1 , Anna Zaghini  1
Affiliations
Review

Plant Essential Oils as a Tool in the Control of Bovine Mastitis: An Update

Alice Caneschi et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Bovine mastitis is a major concern for the dairy cattle community worldwide. Mastitis, subclinical or clinical, can be caused by contagious or environmental pathogens. Costs related to mastitis include direct and indirect losses, leading to global annual losses of USD 35 billion. The primary treatment of mastitis is represented by antibiotics, even if that results in the presence of residues in milk. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in livestock is contributing to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), resulting in a limited resolution of mastitis treatments, as well as a serious threat for public health. Novel alternatives, like the use of plant essential oils (EOs), are needed to replace antibiotic therapy when facing multidrug-resistant bacteria. This review aims to provide an updated overview of the in vitro and in vivo studies available on EOs and their main components as an antibacterial treatment against a variety of mastitis causing pathogens. There are many in vitro studies, but only several in vivo. Given the promising results of treatments with EOs, further clinical trials are needed.

Keywords: antibacterial activity; antimicrobial resistance (AMR); bovine mastitis; essential oils.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Main components of Cinnamon EOs. (a) trans-Cinnamaldehyde; (b) Cinnamyl acetate; (c) Eugenol.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Main components of Origanum EOs. (a) Carvacrol; (b) Thymol; (c) p-Cymene.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Main components of Thymus EOs. (a) Thymol; (b) p-Cymene; (c) γ-Terpinene.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Main components of Melaleuca EOs. (a) Terpinen-4-ol; (b) γ-Terpinene; (c) 1,8-Cineole.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Main components of Lavandula Eos. (a) Linalool; (b) Linalyl acetate.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Main components of Minthostachys verticillata EOs. (a) Pulegone; (b) Menthone.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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