Mastitis treatment—Reduction in antibiotic usage in dairy cows

Abstract

Contents Animal‐friendly, economical, resource‐saving milk production provides the basis for sustained consumer acceptance. Bovine mastitis plays a decisive role in the dairy industry—disturbing animal health and welfare and causing considerable economic losses on the other hand. Currently, antimicrobial treatment is indispensable to keep bovine udder health, animal welfare and economic aspects in balance. On the contrary, emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent matter of particular public interest, and as a consequence, antimicrobial usage (AMU) in production livestock is a critically discussed subject. In urgent need of future reduction in AMU in the dairy industry, this review article describes and discusses possible approaches promising prompt implementation, including therapeutical alternatives as well as pro‐ and metaphylactic concepts such as the implementation of evidence‐based mastitis therapy concepts and selective dry cow treatment (sDCT), in search of the most effective and contemporary methods for decreasing AMU and AMR in dairy production.

An Abattoir-Based Study on the Prevalence of Salmonella Fecal Carriage and ESBL Related Antimicrobial Resistance from Culled Adult Dairy Cows in Wuhan, China

“…These antibiotics belonged to the two most commonly used antibiotic groups in 2018 in the Chinese livestock industries, including chicken and pigs [ 33 ]. This finding is similar to that reported in culled dairy cows in California [ 22 ] and is likely linked to the global long-term use of these antibiotics for promoting growth and controlling mastitis in dairy cows [ 34 ].…”

Antimicrobial resistance profiles of 5 common bovine mastitis pathogens in large Chinese dairy herds

“…Mastitis is a major economic burden on the dairy industry, affecting milk production and milk quality (Abebe et al, 2016;Hogeveen and Van Der Voort, 2017). Numerous microorganisms associated with cases of mastitis have been isolated (Krömker and Leimbach, 2017;Vakkamäki et al, 2017); the most frequently isolated pathogens associated with clinical mastitis (CM) in China are Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., NAS, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, and Staphylococcus aureus . Identification of pathogens causing CM enables appropriate choices for antimicrobial treatment (Pinzón-Sánchez et al, 2011) and preventive mastitis management.…”

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Teat-Sealant and Antibiotic Dry-Cow Treatments for Mastitis Prevention Shows Similar Effect on the Healthy Milk Microbiome

“…The dry period is a critical component of the milk production cycle for two main reasons: (i) high cure rates for IMI can be achieved ( 7 , 8 ), and (ii) the rate of new IMI is greater in the periparturient period than at any other point during lactation ( 9 ). Growing concerns and evidence on the development of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains and their spread to other livestock species and humans, with potential zoonotic risks, are pushing the investigation and adoption of alternative strategies ( 10 – 12 ). Non-antibiotic solutions include probiotics, bacteriocins, bacteriophages, teat sealants, lactoferrin, herbal compounds, and vaccinations ( 4 , 13 – 15 ).…”