Mastitis in Dairy Cattle: Prevention Strategies and Treatment Methods

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Farm Animal Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 5431

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Research and Development Station for Cattle Breading Dancu, 9 Iasi-Ungheni rd., 707252 Dancu, Romania
Interests: veterinary medicine; food quality and safety; animal science; food production

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Guest Editor
Department of Internal Diseases and Diagnostics, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Interests: cattle reproduction; milk quality; udder health; animal health; precision livestock farming; cattle breeding; farm management; alternative therapies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

we are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue of our journal focused on the topic of "Mastitis in Dairy Cattle: Prevention Strategies and Treatment Methods". Mastitis, a mammary disease that commonly affects dairy cattle, continues to be a significant issue in bovine veterinary medicine despite extensive research on prevention and treatment strategies. This Special Issue aims to bring together the latest insights in the field to address this ongoing challenge. The economic losses caused by mastitis in the dairy industry are substantial. Thus, shifting the focus from treatment to prevention is crucial. We encourage contributions that delve into the maintenance of optimal udder health and the prevention of mastitis through various approaches, such as proper nutrition and management and milking and drying practices. We also look forward to submissions that explore alternative treatments and therapies for mastitis, particularly natural products derived from plants and animals. With increasing concerns about antibiotic resistance, the dairy industry is seeking alternatives to prevent and treat mastitis. Research on this topic will contribute to the development of environmentally friendly solutions for mastitis management. We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions. Together, we can advance our understanding of mastitis in dairy cattle and develop effective prevention strategies and treatment methods to improve animal health, welfare, and the sustainability of the dairy industry.

Dr. Andra Sabina Neculai-Valeanu
Dr. Sebastian Smulski
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • bovine mastitis
  • animal health
  • antibiotic resistance
  • alternative therapies
  • somatic cell count
  • udder health
  • dairy cattle
  • milk quality
  • economic losses

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

28 pages, 1249 KiB  
Review
A Review on Mastitis in Dairy Cows Research: Current Status and Future Perspectives
by Piotr Stanek, Paweł Żółkiewski and Ewa Januś
Agriculture 2024, 14(8), 1292; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14081292 - 5 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4726
Abstract
One of the most serious diseases affecting dairy cattle, causing significant losses both in breeding and economy, is mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary gland. Due to the economic importance of this issue, many research teams are striving to develop an easy-to-apply and, [...] Read more.
One of the most serious diseases affecting dairy cattle, causing significant losses both in breeding and economy, is mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary gland. Due to the economic importance of this issue, many research teams are striving to develop an easy-to-apply and, most importantly, effective method to prevent mastitis. The use of traditional methods for mastitis detecting and treating, as well as improvement in hygienic conditions, have not yielded the expected results in combating this disease combating. Currently, the main task is to find the tools that would allow for the rapid detection of mastitis and the improvement of udder health in cows while maintaining high milk production, which is essential for the profitability of dairy cattle farming. Accurate and rapid diagnostic tools, with the simultaneous capability of identifying pathogens, may help to reduce losses. Sufficient sensitivity and specificity for tests are required to minimize the number of false-positive and false-negative cases. Efforts are also being made to determine the optimal threshold value for detecting the disease at its earliest possible stage. The estimation of somatic cell count (SCC) as a phenotypic indicator of mastitis is widely used. A more precise parameter for accurately describing udder health is the differential somatic cell count (DSCC). The well-known California Mastitis Test (CMT) is an inexpensive, easy, and rapid method for mastitis detection useful on farms. The latest diagnostic methods for mastitis utilize tests based on the activity of N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAGase) or lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as well as the determination of acute phase proteins (APPs) in blood serum and milk (such as haptoglobin, serum amyloid A, fibrinogen, and ceruloplasmin). Research also focuses on the genomic improvement of mastitis resistance in successive generations, and for this purpose, many quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified. In recent years, immunotherapy has become an increasingly common area of research, including vaccinations, T/B cell immunotherapy, RNA immunotherapy, epigenetic immunotherapy, stem cell therapy, and native secretory factors. An important aspect of the control of mastitis is the implementation of strategies that focus primarily on preventing the disease through appropriate breeding and farm management practices. In the forthcoming years, a significant challenge will be the development of universal diagnostic and therapeutic strategies that can be effectively implemented as alternatives to antibiotic therapy. Future research should prioritize the advancement of preventive and therapeutic techniques, such as immunotherapies, bacteriocins, herbal therapy, and nanoparticle technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mastitis in Dairy Cattle: Prevention Strategies and Treatment Methods)
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