Mastitis

Mastitis is the most widespread and economically important disease of dairy cattle occurring throughout the world. It is of particular concern for farmers in developing countries like India. The economic loss due to mastitis is associated with reduced milk production, discard of milk due to antibiotic residues, treatment and management costs, and occasional deaths. The menace has a serious zoonotic threat due to shedding of bacteria and their toxins through the milk. Mastitis is caused by a wide spectrum of pathogens and, it is categorized into contagious and environmental mastitis. The major contagious pathogens include Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Mycoplasma spp. and Corynebacterium bovis. The environmental mastitis can be induced by those pathogens residing in the environment such as E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Streptococcus uberis. On the basis of symptoms, mastitis can be classified into either clinical or sub-clinical. Clinical mastitis is characterized by sudden onset, alterations of milk composition and appearance, decreased milk production, and the presence of the cardinal signs of inflammation in the udder. In contrast, in sub-clinical mastitis, no cardinal signs are detected although the milk production is decreased and the somatic cell count is increased. The diagnosis of sub-clinical mastitis is a real challenge in the dairy industry. The book contains a total of 7 chapters including a research chapter (chapter 6) for control of mastitis, a global problem with public health menace. Persons associated with antimicrobial stewardship and drug control policies may go through chapters 5 and 7 for getting some suggestions and clarifications for their consideration. The use of propolis for mastitis control is an…