Alternative Approaches For The Prevention Of Bovine Mastitis. Probiotics, Bioactive Compounds And Vaccines

MARÍA ELENA FÁTIMA NADER-MACÍAS; CRISTINA BOGNI; FERNANDO JUAN MANUEL SESMA; MARÍA CAROLINA ESPECHE; MATÍAS PELLEGRINO; LUCILA SAAVEDRA; IGNACIO FROLA

Milk Production

Nova Science Publishers Inc

Lugar: New York; Año: 2012; p. 125 - 157

Bovine mastitis (BM), both clinical and subclinical, is the most important infectious disease in the dairy farm, and basically affects the quality and the quantity of milk production. They are responsible for the major economic losses in the dairy farm due to treatment, veterinary service, animal replacement, discarded milk and mainly reduced milk production. The main causative microorganisms are Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus uberis and Escherichia coli. Even though, current practices as proper milking hygiene and reduced exposure to pathogens contributes to decrease the occurrence of the disease, the treatment for BM relies heavily on the use of antibiotics, both for prophylaxis and therapy. These treatments have proved to be frequently ineffective to control cronic mastitis, causing a persistent bacterial reservoir within a herd with recurrent infections and the culling of infected animal from the productive circuit. During the last decades, world tendency to limit the use of antibiotics in dairy cattle, has lead researchers toward the study of cows natural defence mechanisms in order to ensure their absence in dairy products with the aim of satisfy consumers demand for ?organic products?. At the same time, the increase of functional products or ?health-preventing foods? consumption supports the need to increase some other aspects of the animal welfare and breeding. Alternatives approaches are being applied for the prevention of this disease and highly promoted, that includes the application of vaccines, the use of probiotics or beneficial microorganisms, their metabolic products as organic acids and hydrogen peroxide, antimicrobial peptides, and/or other more physiological treatments.This chapter reviews the last advances in this area, the rational to support each one of the preventive applications, together with the products available in the international market. Also, the clinical trials supporting the use of the different approaches are included, to encourage the advances and studies in this area. In this way, is possible to help to the control of mastitis, the improvement of the health status of the animals, and in this way in the milk production.