The Latest Advances of Bovine Mastitis and Udder Health

A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381). This special issue belongs to the section "Anatomy, Histology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2024) | Viewed by 6787

Special Issue Editors

College of Animal Science and Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: cattle; mastitis
College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225000, China
Interests: dairy cow; ruminant disease
Wuhan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China
Interests: livestock; poultry; veterinary

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mastitis is a frequently occurring disease in dairy cows, accompanied by inflammatory manifestations such as redness, swelling, heat, and pain in the udder. In severe cases, lactation may be reduced or stopped. It has caused huge economic losses to the dairy farming and dairy industry. The use of antibiotics can also bring risks such as antibiotic resistance and antibiotic residues, posing a threat to public health. Cow mastitis is mainly an inflammation caused by bacteria invading the udder tissue through the opening of the teat. Pathogenic bacteria can be divided into two categories: infectious bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae, and environmental bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Streptococcus isogalactiae, Streptococcus uberis, etc. In addition to the pathogenesis of bacterial infection, various incentives or genetic factors are involved in mastitis, mainly due to poor feeding and management. Therefore, the key to preventing mastitis in dairy cows is eliminating the abovementioned bad incentives. This Special Issue invites original articles or reviews covering any aspect of clinical mastitis and intramammary infection. Recent advances and new knowledge in mastitis research on, but not limited to, the following topics are invited:

  • diagnosis of the pathogen causing mastitis;
  • pathogenicity and immune mechanism of dairy cow mastitis;
  • impact on the economy, human health, animal welfare;
  • prevention of clinical mastitis and intramammary infection;
  • risk factors, treatment strategies, and non-antibiotic treatments for bovine mastitis;
  • farm environment and management;
  • milk quality.

Prof. Dr. Chang-min Hu
Prof. Dr. Heng Wang
Dr. Jie Chen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • mastitis
  • dairy cows
  • udder health
  • microorganism
  • intramammary infection
  • bacterial pathogens
  • virus pathogens
  • fungal pathogens
  • management
  • dairy

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2080 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Prototheca bovis Infection and Its Correlation with Dairy Herd Improvement Data from a Dairy Farm in Central China
by Jie Chen, Xiuxiu Hu, Guohong Li, Pingmin Wan, Zhiyong Shao, Erguang Jin, Xiaohua Liu, Qian Yang, Anying Long and Yunguo Qian
Vet. Sci. 2024, 11(1), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11010037 - 17 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1403
Abstract
Prototheca bovis (P. bovis), an alga that has attracted considerable attention over the years as a causative microorganism of mastitis in dairy cows, exhibits limited susceptibility to specific aminoglycosides and antifungal agents, and no effective clinical treatment is currently available, thereby [...] Read more.
Prototheca bovis (P. bovis), an alga that has attracted considerable attention over the years as a causative microorganism of mastitis in dairy cows, exhibits limited susceptibility to specific aminoglycosides and antifungal agents, and no effective clinical treatment is currently available, thereby posing challenges for both prevention and treatment. To investigate the infection of P. bovis mastitis and its impact on raw milk production, a total of 348 raw milk samples were collected from August to December 2022 from a dairy farm in central China. P. bovis and other bacteria were detected, and the average infection rate of P. bovis in raw milk was 60.34% (210/348). The total number of colonies and the somatic cell count (SCC) of P. bovis positive samples were significantly higher than those of P. bovis negative samples (p < 0.01). The daily milk yield, 305-day milk yield, peak milk yield, and days to peak milk yield of the P. bovis positive samples were significantly lower than those of P. bovis negative samples (p < 0.01). A correlation analysis showed that P. bovis infection was negatively correlated with daily milk yield, 305-day milk yield, peak milk yield, and days to peak milk yield (p < 0.0001), while being positively correlated with the total number of colonies, SCC, milk loss, and protein percentage (p < 0.0001). These findings may help practitioners in comprehending the occurrence of Prototheca mastitis and developing more effective strategies for the prevention of P. bovis infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Latest Advances of Bovine Mastitis and Udder Health)
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14 pages, 284 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Stability and Antimicrobial Efficacy of a Newly Modeled Teat Dip Solution Containing Chlorhexidine
by Modestas Kybartas, Marius Virgailis, Modestas Ruzauskas, Irena Klimienė, Rita Šiugždinienė, Lina Merkevičienė, Žaneta Štreimikytė-Mockeliūnė and Raimundas Mockeliūnas
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(8), 510; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10080510 - 08 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1322
Abstract
Despite much focus on mastitis as an endemic disease, clinical and subclinical mastitis remains an important problem for many herds. Reducing the usage of antibiotics for mastitis treatment allows the risks to be minimized related to the development of antimicrobial resistance and the [...] Read more.
Despite much focus on mastitis as an endemic disease, clinical and subclinical mastitis remains an important problem for many herds. Reducing the usage of antibiotics for mastitis treatment allows the risks to be minimized related to the development of antimicrobial resistance and the excretion of antibiotics into the environment. The aim of the study was to determine the physico-chemical properties, stability and antimicrobial effect of a newly formulated biocide for post-milking udder hygiene containing a thickener made from hydroxypropyl guar gum, an antiseptic chlorhexidine digluconate and teat skin-friendly components including glycerol, Mentha Arvensis herbal oil and Aesculus hippocastanum extract. Hydroxypropyl guar gum was used as a thickener to provide the physical parameters and to retain the viscosity at 1438 mPa.s. The physical and chemical properties of the product, including the 12-month stability, were tested in long-term and accelerated stability studies. The product was effective against the primary mastitis pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus uberis, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Latest Advances of Bovine Mastitis and Udder Health)
10 pages, 4133 KiB  
Article
Effects of Anemoside B4 on Plasma Metabolites in Cows with Clinical Mastitis
by Liuhong Shen, Yu Shen, Yue Zhang, Suizhong Cao, Shumin Yu, Xiaolan Zong and Zhetong Su
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(7), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10070437 - 05 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1324
Abstract
Anemoside B4 has a good curative effect on cows with CM; however, its impact on their metabolic profiles is unclear. Based on similar somatic cell counts and clinical symptoms, nine healthy dairy cows and nine cows with CM were selected, respectively. Blood samples [...] Read more.
Anemoside B4 has a good curative effect on cows with CM; however, its impact on their metabolic profiles is unclear. Based on similar somatic cell counts and clinical symptoms, nine healthy dairy cows and nine cows with CM were selected, respectively. Blood samples were collected from cows with mastitis on the day of diagnosis. Cows with mastitis were injected with anemoside B4 (0.05 mL/kg, once daily) for three consecutive days, and healthy cows were injected with the same volume of normal saline. Subsequently, blood samples were collected. The plasma metabolic profiles were analyzed using untargeted mass spectrometry, and the concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in serum were evaluated via ELISA. The cows with CM showed increased concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α (p < 0.05). After treatment with anemoside B4, the concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were significantly decreased (p < 0.01). Untargeted metabolomics analysis showed that choline, glycocholic acid, PC (18:0/18:1), 20-HETE, PGF3α, and oleic acid were upregulated in cows with CM. After treatment with anemoside B4, the concentrations of PC (16:0/16:0), PC (18:0/18:1), linoleic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, phosphorylcholine, and glycerophosphocholine were downregulated, while the LysoPC (14:0), LysoPC (18:0), LysoPC (18:1), and cis-9-palmitoleic acid were upregulated. This study indicated that anemoside B4 alleviated the inflammatory response in cows with CM mainly by regulating lipid metabolism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Latest Advances of Bovine Mastitis and Udder Health)
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15 pages, 1138 KiB  
Article
Biofilm-Producing Ability of Staphylococcus aureus Obtained from Surfaces and Milk of Mastitic Cows
by Mária Vargová, František Zigo, Jana Výrostková, Zuzana Farkašová and Ibrahim F. Rehan
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(6), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10060386 - 02 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1478
Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the incidence of mastitis in 153 dairy cows and to evaluate the kinetics of adhesion of isolates obtained from surfaces and milk in comparison with the reference strain (RS), CCM 4223. The surfaces of the floor, teat [...] Read more.
This study was conducted to evaluate the incidence of mastitis in 153 dairy cows and to evaluate the kinetics of adhesion of isolates obtained from surfaces and milk in comparison with the reference strain (RS), CCM 4223. The surfaces of the floor, teat cup, and cow restraints were aseptically swabbed in three replicates (n = 27). Of the total number of infected cows (n = 43), 11 samples were found to be positive for Staphylococcus aureus, 12 samples tested positive for non-aureus staphylococci, 6 samples tested positive for Streptococcus spp., and 11 samples tested positive for other bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas spp.) or a mixed infection. The most represented pathogen in milk (11/43) and on surfaces (14/27) was S. aureus. The kinetics of adhesion of the reference strain and isolates of S. aureus on stainless steel surfaces were determined after 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, and 48 h, and 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 days of incubation. All strains reached counts higher than 5 Log10 CFU/cm2 needed for biofilm formation, except RS (4.40 Log10 CFU/cm2). The isolates of S. aureus revealed a higher capability to form biofilm in comparison with RS during the first 3 h (p < 0.001). Thus, there is a significant difference between the occurrence of S. aureus on monitored surfaces—floor, teat cup, and cow restraints—and the frequency with which mastitis is caused by S. aureus (p < 0.05). This finding raises the possibility that if various surfaces are contaminated by S. aureus, it can result in the formation of biofilm, which is a significant virulence factor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Latest Advances of Bovine Mastitis and Udder Health)
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