1. TREATMENT OF MASTITIS
DURING LACTATION
Lotta Närhinen
2011

2. OUTLINE
• INTRODUCTION
• BASIC FACTS
• SOME DIFFERENT PATHOGENS AND
ABOUT PENICILLINE
• TREATMENT
• CONCLUSIONS
• REFERENCES

3. INTRODUCTION
• Intramammary infection is the most
common reason for using antimicrobials in
dairy cows
• Cows have been treated the same way for
over fifty years, but is it the best way?
• The public health shouldn’t be ignored so
more research is needed

4. BASIC FACTS
• The bovine mammary gland is a difficult
target for antimicrobial treatment
• Antimicrobial treatment creates residues
into milk
• Residue avoidance is an important aspect
of mastitis treatment
• Another important aspect is that milk
should not interfere with antimicrobial
activity

5. RESISTANCE TO PENICILLIN
• Antimicrobial resistance amongst mastitis
pathogens has not yet emerged as a clinically
relevant issue
• Geographical regions may differ in this
respect
• The biggest problem is the widespread
resistance of staphylococci to penicillin
• Using a β-lactamase test for determining
resistance to penicillin of staphylococci
before treatment is recommended

6. DIFFERENT PATHOGENS
Where to target antimicrobial therapy in clinical mastitis due to different
Pathogens (Erskine 2003)
Milk/ducts Udder tissue Cow
Streptococcus +++ --- ---
agalactlae
Other streptococci +++ + ---
Staphylococcus + +++ ---
aureus
Coagulase- +++ --- ---
negative
staphylococci
Arcanobacterium --- ++ +++
pyogenes
Coliforms + -- +++

7. TREATMENT IN PRACTISE
• Treatment of mastitis should be targeted
towards the causative bacteria
• Treatment protocols and drug selection for
each farm should be made by
veterinarians familiar with the farm

8. TREATMENT IN PRACTISE
• A longer treatment improves cure
rates, and duration of treatment should
generally be extended
– Clinical mastitis should be treated for at least
three days
– This recommended treatment duration is
longer than label treatments in many
countries

9. CONCLUSIONS
• Intramammary infection is the most
common disease in dairy cows
• When treating it, public health and the effects on
milk should be considered
• The infection should be treated by a
veterinarian who is familiar with the
particular herd
• The infection should be treated for at least three
days and towards the causative bacteria

10. REFERENCES
• Pyörälä S, University of Helsinki, Faculty
of Veterinary Medicine, Department of
Production Animal Medicine
• http://www.irishvetjournal.org/content/pdf/2
046-0481-62-S4-S40.pdf
Thank you for
your attention!