2020/05/12 by Wei Cheng, Sung Gu Han · 2 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Milk Quality and Mastitis in Dairy Cows #Probiotics and Fermented Foods #Biopolymer Synthesis and Applications
paper · doi:10.5713/ajas.20.0156
openalex publication_date 2020/05/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Bovine mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary gland, is the most common disease of dairy cattle causing economic losses due to reduced yield and poor quality of milk. The etiological agents include a variety of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and can be either contagious (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Mycoplasma spp.) or environmental (e.g., Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Streptococcus uberis). Improving sanitation such as enhanced milking hygiene, implementation of post-milking teat disinfection, maintenance of milking machines are general measures to prevent new cases of mastitis, but treatment of active mastitis infection is dependant mainly on antibiotics. However, the extensive use of antibiotics increased concerns about emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and that led the dairy industries to reduce the use of antibiotics. Therefore, alternative therapies for prevention and treatment of bovine mastitis, particularly natural products from plants and animals, have been sought. This review provides an overview of bovine mastitis in the aspects of risk factors, control and treatments, and emerging therapeutic alternatives in the control of bovine mastitis.