Treatment for bovineEscherichia colimastitis – an evidence‐based approach

Abstract

Bovine mastitis caused by Escherichia coli can range from being a subclinical infection of the mammary gland to a severe systemic disease. Cow-dependent factors such as lactation stage and age affect the severity of coliform mastitis. Evidence for the efficacy of antimicrobial treatment for E. coli mastitis is very limited. Antimicrobial resistance is generally not a limiting factor for treatment, but it should be monitored to detect changes in resistance profiles. The only antimicrobials for which there is some scientific evidence of beneficial effects in the treatment for E. coli mastitis are fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins. Both are critically important drugs, the use of which in animals destined for food should be limited to specific indications and should be based on bacteriological diagnosis. The suggested routine protocol in dairy herds could target the primary antimicrobial treatment for mastitis, specifically infections caused by gram-positive bacteria. In E. coli mastitis with mild to moderate clinical signs, a non-antimicrobial approach (anti-inflammatory treatment, frequent milking and fluid therapy) should be the first option. In cases of severe E. coli mastitis, parenteral administration of fluoroquinolones, or third- or fourth-generation cephalosporins, is recommended due to the risk of unlimited growth of bacteria in the mammary gland and ensuing bacteremia. Evidence for the efficacy of intramammary-administered antimicrobial treatment for E. coli mastitis is so limited that it cannot be recommended. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have documented the efficacy in the treatment for E. coli mastitis and are recommended for supportive treatment for clinical mastitis.

Efficacy of enrofloxacin for the treatment of acute clinical mastitis caused byEscherichia coliin dairy cows

“…Compared with some other studies (Rantala and others 2002, Suojala and others 2010), a very high proportion of cows in this study had severe mastitis, which is the type of coli mastitis that would benefit most from treatment with an efficient antibiotic (Suojala and others 2013). Nevertheless, the results of this study could serve as an indication that enrofloxacin is questionable as ‘the drug of choice’ in cases of acute clinical mastitis caused by E. coli .…”

“…Evidence for the efficacy of antimicrobial treatment for E. coli mastitis is limited (Suojala and others 2013). A Danish study claimed that quinolones had a treatment effect in severe cases of acute clinical mastitis caused by E. coli (Katholm 2003).…”

Longitudinal metagenomic profiling of bovine milk to assess the impact of intramammary treatment using a third-generation cephalosporin

“…. Although current guidelines do not recommend the use of intramammary antibiotics for cows diagnosed with Gram-negative mastitis314, improved bacteriological and clinical outcomes have been shown in mastitic cows treated with third-generation cephalosporins compared with other antimicrobials or untreated controls1516. However, the impact of these broad-spectrum antibiotics on the milk microbiota (other than major pathogens) remains unknown.…”

Evaluation of a culture‐based pathogen identification kit for bacterial causes of bovine mastitis

“…A more recent development has been the use of pathogen identification to inform individual cow treatment protocols for clinical mastitis during lactation, with the potential to further reduce antimicrobial use (Lago and others 2011a, Cameron and others 2013). Several authors have reported that mild and moderate clinical mastitis cases caused by Escherichia coli species do not benefit from antimicrobial therapy (Roberson 2012, Suojala and others 2013). …”