PARTNER FEATURE ▶▶▶
Unravelling the enigma of mastitis
Mastitis presents a huge burden on dairy production globally, regardless of production systems. It is an inflammation of the udder, caused mainly by bacteria (gram-positive and gram-negative), mycoplasma, yeast and others, but also by lesions and exposure to heat or cold.
BY HRVOJE STARCEVIC, GLOBAL PRODUCT MANAGER RUMINANTS, HUVEPHARMA P
athogens irritate and destroy udder tissue, with their growth and by-products leading to inflammation. They enter the udder mostly through the teat canal or, rarely, through blood and lymph.
Pathogens can be divided into two groups: environmental (Escherichia coli, Streptococcus uberis, etc.) and contagious (Staphylococcus aureus, Coagulase negative staphylococci [CNS], Streptococcus agalactiae, etc.). Mastitis cases are divided into clinical and subclinical, accord- ing to symptoms. Clinical mastitis is easy to spot in the herd due to visible signs. Subclinical mastitis can go unnoticed due to a lack of such signs. Apart from occasional increases in so- matic cell count (SCC) and a slight drop in milk production, the animal seems to be healthy. The most common causes of clinical mastitis are coliform bacteria, with E. coli isolated in more than 80% of cases (Bradley et al., 2007). Gram-positive bacteria dominate sub- clinical cases of mastitis, so they are the main focus of farm protocols for treatment of mastitis. Tackling mastitis is not easy; it requires dedication of time, money and labour. Emphasis must be placed on hygiene, feeding, milking parlour equipment maintenance, manage- ment of clinical cases and suspected animals, udder health, dry-off procedures and, last but not least, treatment during lactation. Treatment should always be aimed at the specific pathogen causing the mastitis, but often this is not possible due to, for example, the acute state of the infection or co-in- fections that are present.
Treatment Two main routes for the treatment of mastitis are parenteral
and intramammary, which is very common and done by infu- sion of intramammary tubes into the udder. Both methods have their pros and cons. The parenteral route could be per- ceived as the better one (Erskine, 2003; Ziv, 1980), but it makes achieving and maintaining high concentrations of ac- tive substance in the udder difficult. This is why very few sub- stances have been shown to be effective and are approved. Intramammary treatment is a direct approach. The active substance is applied directly into the affected area; higher concentrations are achieved in the milk, but distribution can be compromised (presence of milk, SCC and inflammatory by-products). The other potential risk is the introduction of a new infection if the application is not done correctly. Applicability of any active substance used for treatment of mastitis will greatly depend on its pharmacokinetics (solu- bility in lipids, ionisation, level of binding to serum, udder proteins and the type of vehicle – especially for intramamma- ry presentations) (Pyörälä, 2009). From a pharmacodynamic perspective, active substances that exert low minimum inhibitory concentrations and bactericidal effects are more welcome (Kehrli and Harp, 2001). Huvepharma has solutions in its portfolio for both parenteral (Pharmasin – tylosin base) and intramammary use (Albiotic – lincomycin/neomycin), fulfilling these requirements.
More information is available upon request. ▶ DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 8, No. 3, 2021 21
PHOTO: HENK RISWICK
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