Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice
Principles of Mastitis Treatment in Sheep and Goats
Section snippets
Principles of treatment of mastitis during lactation
In small ruminants, no detailed protocols for treatment of mastitis, as have been developed in cows,3 are available. There is one established rule for the treatment of mastitis, however: the combination of speed and efficacy. Treatment should start immediately after detection of the first signs of the disease and should be performed using effective antimicrobial agents.4 Development of disease and subsequent damage to the gland is rapid; histologic lesions in the mammary gland are evident
Administration of antimicrobial agents at drying off
Administration of antimicrobial agents at drying off of ewes/does is not a treatment as such, because the treated animals are not always ill. It is an important part of control programs against mastitis, however. Administration of antimicrobial agents at drying off has two objectives: (1) to eliminate existing intramammary infections, which may cause recrudescence of clinical disease during the dry period, and (2) to prevent new infections during the dry period, when ewes/does are particularly
Detection of inhibitors in milk
Because intramammary and parenteral antimicrobial products are not approved for use in sheep and goats in most of the world and because milk withdrawal periods cannot be extrapolated from those required for dairy cattle with dependability,19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 veterinarians and farmers must use test kits to detect inhibitors in the milk before shipping for human consumption. Although these tests when used under farm or veterinary clinic environments are not comparable in accuracy to regulatory
Summary
This short article indicates the principles for treatment of mastitis in ewes/does and explains reasons why treatment may occasionally fail. Moreover, it presents the principles for administration of antimicrobial agents at drying off of the animals. Finally, it addresses the risk of antimicrobials present in milk when improper withdrawal periods are used and the issues around testing for inhibitors before putting the milk into in a farm’s tank.
References (30)
- et al.
Mastitis in small ruminants
Small Rumin Res
(2007) Establishing treatment protocols for clinical mastitis
Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract
(2003)- et al.
Mastitis therapy and pharmacology
Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract
(2003) - et al.
The effect of inoculation of coagulase-negative staphylococci into the ovine mammary gland
J Comp Pathol
(1990) - et al.
Program for the control of subclinical mastitis in dairy chios breed ewes during lactation
Small Rumin Res
(2007) - et al.
Treatment of clinical mastitis: using antimicrobial susceptibility profiles for treatment decisions
Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract
(2003) - et al.
Management and treatment of staphylococcal mastitis
Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract
(2003) Epidemiological information in sheep health management
Small Rumin Res
(2010)The health of the sheep industry and the medicines to maintain it
Small Rumin Res
(2006)- et al.
Efficacy of dry-off treatment in sheep
Small Rumin Res
(2003)
Dry-off treatment of Assaf sheep: Efficacy as a management tool for improving milk quantity and quality
Small Rumin Res
Antibiotic persistence and tolerance in the lactating sheep following a course of intramammary therapy
Br Vet J
Risks of antibiotic residues in milk following intramammary and intramuscular treatments in dairy sheep
Anal Chim Acta
Proposals for withdrawal period of sheep milk for some commonly used veterinary medicinal products: a review
Small Rumin Res
Evaluation of screening test for detection of antimicrobial residues in ewe milk
J Dairy Sci
Cited by (56)
First report on genotypic estimation of MRSA load in udder of nomadic sheep flocks affected with subclinical mastitis in Pakistan
2024, Research in Veterinary ScienceQuinolones in goats' milk: Effect on the cheese-making process, chemical and microbial characteristics of acid-coagulated cheeses
2023, International Dairy JournalInfluence of management and farm characteristics on microbiological quality and physico-chemical features of sheep milk produced in Tuscany farms (Italy)
2022, Small Ruminant ResearchCitation Excerpt :The mammary gland may, however, get colonized by a variety of bacteria from the teat surface, air, feed, water, milking equipment, and other external sources during and after milking (Quigley et al., 2013). Mastitis represents the principal cause of increased SCC in milk, and it is one of the main problems of dairy sheep farms leading to significant production losses, decreased milk quality, increased veterinary costs, and decreased animal welfare (Mavrogianni et al., 2011). Factors influencing udder health and milk hygiene in intensive dairy systems are well documented (Leitner et al., 2004; Sinapis, 2007; Caroprese, 2008), while literature about semi-extensive or extensive sheep dairy systems is scarce.
Short communication: Diversity of staphylococci isolated from sheep mastitis in northern Algeria
2020, Journal of Dairy ScienceUdder surgery in ewes
2019, Small Ruminant ResearchCitation Excerpt :After completing surgery in teat injuries, thelotomy or thelectomy, antmicrobial agents should be administered systematically and also possibly with intramammary infusion for a period of 3 days post-operatively. The principles of administration of antimicrobial agents in mammary disorders have been reviewed by Mavrogianni et al. (2011). More recent findings regarding potential resistance of staphylococci from ewes’ udder samples (i.e., the most frequently recovered bacteria) and relevant literature references have been presented by Vasileiou et al. (2019).
The authors have nothing to disclose.