The Immunology of Mammary Gland of Dairy Ruminants between Healthy and Inflammatory Conditions

Abstract

The health of dairy animals, particularly the milk-producing mammary glands, is essential to the dairy industry because of the crucial hygienic and economic aspects of ensuring production of high quality milk. Due to its high prevalence, mastitis is considered the most important threat to dairy industry, due to its impacts on animal health and milk production and thus on economic benefits. The MG is protected by several defence mechanisms that prevent microbial penetration and surveillance. However, several factors can attenuate the host immune response (IR), and the possession of various virulence and resistance factors by different mastitis-causing microorganisms greatly limits immune defences and promotes establishment of intramammary infections (IMIs). A comprehensive understanding of MG immunity in both healthy and inflammatory conditions will be an important key to understand the nature of IMIs caused by specific pathogens and greatly contributes to the development of effective control methods and appropriate detection techniques. Consequently, this review aims to provide a detailed overview of antimicrobial defences in the MG under healthy and inflammatory conditions. In this sense, we will focus on pathogen-dependent variations in IRs mounted by the host during IMI and discuss the potential ramifications of these variations.

Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on Multiple Drug-Resistant Strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from Mastitis-Infected Goats: An Alternative Approach for Antimicrobial Therapy

“…The primary causative agents for mastitis are bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus agalactiae , Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Corynebacterium bovis , and Bacillus cereus . Mastitis can also be caused a wide spectrum of microorganisms, including fungi, yeast, algae, Chlamydia, and viruses [1,2,3] . Mastitis is considered as the most critical threat to the dairy industry because it leads to a significant decline in animal health and milk production, ultimately causing huge economic losses [3].…”

“…Mastitis can also be caused a wide spectrum of microorganisms, including fungi, yeast, algae, Chlamydia, and viruses [1,2,3] . Mastitis is considered as the most critical threat to the dairy industry because it leads to a significant decline in animal health and milk production, ultimately causing huge economic losses [3]. Gram-negative bacteria cause mastitis due to the presence of the cell wall lipopolysaccharides (LPS), one of the most potent and cell-wall derived immunostimulants, serves as the key virulence factor that elicits the clinical symptoms of mastitis [4,5].…”

Results of challenge of goats with Staphylococcus aureus into the teat of the udder

“…These include the keratin of the teat duct, which inhibits proximal progression of bacteria, whilst subsequent cellular and humoral defence mechanisms occur in the teat cistern, e.g., leucocytes and non-specific antibacterial proteins (Ezzat Alnakip et al, 2014). Also, possibly, under field conditions, bacterial flora into the teat duct (e.g., coagulase-negative staphylococci) can play a protective role against invading bacteria, for example by acting in competition with invading organisms and ultimately leading to reduction in the number of the latter bacteria (Fragkou et al, 2007).…”

Bovine mastitis: a persistent and evolving problem requiring novel approaches for its control - a review

“…The cow's defence mechanisms against mammary gland infection include milk components with bactericidal activity, such as lysozyme, lactoferrin and peroxidase. The humoral (specific antibodies) and cellular defence system (somatic cells) both play an important role in combating pathogenic microorganisms in the mammary gland (EZZAT ALNAKIP et al, 2014).…”