Is AMR in Dairy Products a Threat to Human Health? An Updated Review on the Origin, Prevention, Treatment, and Economic Impacts of Subclinical Mastitis

Abstract

Background Bovine mastitis is the most frequent and costly illness impacting dairy herds worldwide. The presence of subclinical mastitis in dairy cows has an impact on the decreased output of milk and milk quality, culling of affected cows, mortality rate, as well as mastitis-related treatment expenses, generating significant financial loss to the dairy industry. The pathogenic bacteria invade through the mammary gland, which then multiply in the milk-producing tissues causing infection, and the presence of pathogenic bacteria in milk is concerning, jeopardizes human health, and also has public health consequences. Intervention to promote herd health is essential to protect public health and the economy. Results This review attempts to provide an overview of subclinical mastitis, including mastitis in different species, the effect of mastitis on human health and its pathogenic mechanism, the prevalence and incidence of subclinical mastitis, and current preventive, diagnostic, and treatment methods for subclinical mastitis. It also elaborates on the management practices that should be followed by the farms to improve herd immunity and health. Conclusion This review brings the importance of the threat of antimicrobial resistance organisms to the dairy industry. Furthermore, this review gives a glimpse of the economic consequences faced by the farmers and a futuristic mastitis market analysis in the dairy industry.

Current landscape of antimicrobial resistance genes in Staphylococcus aureus from milk: a thousand genome-based analysis

“…Furthermore, certain S. aureus strains can be associated with infections in humans, such as livestock associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA). MRSA strains are resistant to virtually all beta-lactam antibiotics, posing an increasing threat to public health (Paramasivam et al ., 2023). In this regard, we analyzed 1103 publicly available S. aureus genomes to understand the current landscape of AMR genes distributed in milk.…”

Review on mastitis and public health importance of mastitis causing pathogens in raw milk from Mastitis infected dairy goat.

“…Staphylococcus aureus are the most frequently diagnosed causal microorganisms of IMI in goats. Intramammary infections caused by these pathogens need to be treated with particular caution, because this bacterium is responsible for both acute clinical mastitis (gangrenous mastitis) and subclinical mastitis [13]. This pathogen can be found widely distributed in animals, and it is a contagious pathogen that can be transmitted from doe to doe during unhygienic milking procedures [97].…”

“…In addition to causing hygiene and health problems, in ammation of the mammary glands can also cause economic losses due to reduced milk production, poor quality of milk [13]. Mastitis also poses a threat to human health due to the risk of transmitting zoonotic pathogens through ingestion of contaminated milk [14,15].…”

Antibacterial activity of medicinal plants on the management of mastitis in dairy cows: A systematic review

“…To obtain high‐quality milk, good udder health is not only important for the dairy farmer but also for the dairy production chain as a whole (Hogeveen et al., 2019; Neculai‐Valeanu & Ariton, 2022). However, the production sector is constantly challenged by diseases, with mastitis being a disease of economic importance (Ejeta et al., 2022; Paramasivam et al., 2023; Yusuf‐Isleged, 2022; Zigo et al., 2022).…”