A Critical Appraisal of Probiotics for Mastitis Control

Abstract

The urge to reduce antimicrobials use in dairy farming has prompted a search for alternative solutions. As infections of the mammary gland is a major reason for antibiotic administration to dairy ruminants, mammary probiotics have recently been presented as a possible alternative for the treatment of mastitis. To assess the validity of this proposal, we performed a general appraisal of the knowledge related to probiotics for mammary health by examining their potential modes of action and assessing the compatibility of these mechanisms with the immunobiology of mammary gland infections. Then we analyzed the literature published on the subject, taking into account the preliminary in vitro experiments and the in vivo trials. Preliminary experiments aimed essentially at exploring in vitro the capacity of putative probiotics, mainly lactic acid bacteria (LABs), to interfere with mastitis-associated bacteria or to interact with mammary epithelial cells. A few studies used LABs selected on the basis of bacteriocin production or the capacity to adhere to epithelial cells to perform in vivo experiments. Intramammary infusion of LABs showed that LABs are pro-inflammatory for the mammary gland, inducing an intense influx of neutrophils into milk during lactation and at drying-off. Yet, their capacity to cure mastitis remains to be established. A few preliminary studies tackle the possibility of using probiotics to interfere with the teat apex microbiota or to prevent the colonization of the teat canal by pathogenic bacteria. From the analysis of the published literature, it appears that currently there is no sound scientific foundation for the use of probiotics to prevent or treat mastitis. We conclude that the prospects for oral probiotics are not promising for ruminants, those for intramammary probiotics should be considered with caution, but that teat apex probiotics deserve further research.

Milk Microbiota: What Are We Exactly Talking About?

“…The results showed that probiotics could be a natural and effective alternative in the prevention of bovine mastitis at dryoff period and act as an immunomodulator stimulating local and systemic defense lines (Pellegrino et al, 2017). On the other hand, other studies suggest that intramammary probiotics should be considered with caution, although teat apex probiotics deserve further research (Rainard and Foucras, 2018). Clearly, more research is needed for understanding the impact of administration of probiotics on the cow milk microbiota as well as on the offspring gastrointestinal microbiota and on their respective health status.…”

Efficacy of a Lactobacillus-Based Teat Spray on Udder Health in Lactating Dairy Cows

“…It is possible that the presence of the LACT organisms inhibited the development of any teat skin or mammary gland dysbiosis. The use of probiotics to minimize the risk of (or correct existing) dysbiosis has been proposed as a method to both reduce mastitis risk and the need for antimicrobial use (29). An additional potential protective effect may be the result of barrier-like biofilm properties of the organisms (20).…”

“…The use of these products has occasionally raised concerns about the risk of chemical residues in milk (26)(27)(28). Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are part of the healthy alimentary microbiota (29), and have been proposed as a potential alternative therapy for the control of bovine mastitis (30,31). A liquid product containing a mixture of Lactobacillus organisms (LACT) was developed as a post-milking teat spray.…”

On the use of probiotics to improve dairy cattle health and productivity

“…The probiotic interaction with host's system microbiota (e.g. udder, rumen, intestine) results in correcting system dysbiosis 9 and controlling several infectious inflammatory conditions through antagonism and immunomodulation 10 . Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that are well known antibacterial producers and generally recognised as safe in the food industry offer a possible alternative to conventional antimicrobials 11 .…”

“…A dysbiosis of the commensal intramammary microbiota and the presence of mastitis causing-bacteria has been linked to IMI in dairy cattle 12 . The use of probiotics is proposed to correct the dysbiosis 9 .…”