Therapeutic alternatives in mammary gland infections in cows

Abstract

Mastitis caused by infectious pathogens is still considered a ravaging disease of dairy cattle, affecting animal welfare. Economically, this condition appears in the dairy industry through reduced production performance and increased culling rates. Bovine mastitis is a mammary gland inflammation, most commonly caused by bacterial pathogens. Routine diagnosis is based on detecting clinical and subclinical forms of the disease. This highlights the importance of rapid detection of etiological agents at the farm level, for which several diagnostic techniques have been developed. Due to the predominance of bacterial etiology, treatment in mastitis is mainly based on the use of antibiotics. Nevertheless, antibiotic therapy has some limitations due to antimicrobial resistance, treatment efficacy, and costs at the farm level. Research needs to be directed toward developing new therapeutic agents/techniques that can replace conventional methods and address the problem of antibiotic resistance. The objective of the article is to briefly describe the current findings and results of herbal therapy as an adjuvant in the management of mammary gland infections.