intra-mammary infections

OZOLEA-MAST for animal welfare

Marketing 26 January 2022 News

Animal welfare has become of concern for civil society. It represent a complex and multi-faceted aspect, with “scientific, ethical, economic, cultural, social, religious and political dimensions” (OIE, 2017).

It is linked with food safety, human health and sustainability. The welfare of food producing animals highly depends on how they are raised.

In particular, attention to animal welfare in food producing animals can improve productivity, food security and economic sustainability.

At OZOLEA, animal welfare has always been one of the goals, along with sustainability and food safety. Aiming at the reduction of antibiotic usage in milk production, OZOLEA created veterinary devices for the use in dairy cows, to be applied along with best management practices.

The SSafeMILK project is the ultimate expression of all the effort of OZOLEA, also in terms of animal welfare: a circular model, to be implemented throughout the entire dairy supply chain, which brings benefits to all the players.

Among the major animal welfare and economic issues in dairy cattle, there is mastitis. Milk loss, increased costs associated with animal health assistance, reduced longevity, increased culling rates and reduced productivity and fertility are the main consequences of mastitis.

OZOLEA opted for a product, OZOLEA-MAST, which would support udder tissue before the onset of full-blown mastitis. By intervening promptly, the farmer can reduce the use of unnecessary antibiotics.

Right before the onset of clinical mastitis, there is often a disorder in the mammary tissue’s functionality; this tissue degeneration appears to be one of the primary causes of bacterial proliferation and mastitis occurrence.

Moreover, biofilms in mammary glands can exploit a damaged tissue to proliferate and further stressing the tissue. A reduction of effectiveness of antibiotic therapies can be linked to this stress¹.

Thus, supporting the integrity and functionality of udder tissue and allowing the tissue to regenerate autonomously is an effective strategy to allow the expression of natural defense mechanisms.

Along with the implementation of the best herd management practices, OZOLEA-MAST makes it possible by creating a film barrier in contact with the inner wall of the teat canal.

In conclusion, by applying OZOLEA-MAST in combination with the specific protocols that OZOLEA defined for each situations, the occurrence of severe clinical events is reduced noticeably; thus, animals are less stressed and animal welfare can be improved.

We published a focus on animal welfare and AMR recently: click here to read it.

¹ Recurrent mastitis in dairy cows: the role of bacterial biofilms.

https://www.ozolea.it/recurrent-mastitis-in-dairy-cows-the-role-of-bacterial-biofilms/

Cover Image: Ph. Jeremy Huang. Image available here.

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Teat sphincter integrity and elasticity are essential against infections

Marketing 24 November 2021 News

Last week, we introduced an important topic, that is the cow’s first line of defense against pathogens causing mastitis¹. We discussed the important roles of teat, teat canal and mammary epithelial tissue: each element plays a relevant part in preventing bacteria from causing infections.

We also left open the “story” about the role of the teat sphincter in tackling infections. Today, we will cover this topic and find solutions to protect in case of need.

What is the teat sphincter?

The teat tissue contains bundles of muscle, arranged longitudinally and circularly. Around the teat duct, the bundles of circular muscle are organised to form the teat sphincter. This structure controls the opening and closing of the teat duct.

Basically, it helps avoid milk leakage between milkings. Milk is held by the teat cistern just before it leaves the teat.

The closing of the teat sphincter takes time: 20-30 minutes at least are required for complete closing. In this range of time, the cow is more susceptible to bacteria invasion at the udder level; thus, it is important that animals do not lay down after milking in this time interval.

During milking, the opening of the duct depends on the pressure difference across it, the liner, but also on the elasticity of the tissue surrouding the teat duct and the contractile forces of the smooth muscle. One key aspect in this process is the effect of the sphincter muscle tone on the milk flow rate, in addition to tissue elasticity and other aspects (liner positioning, muscle relaxation and contraction).

Therefore, the integrity and elasticity of the teat sphincter and the tissue around it play essential roles both in preventing bacteria from entering the teat canal and for efficient milking.

Mechanical stress, environmental changes, the use of aggressive substances such as those used for teat dipping, other types of stress affecting the animal (such as hyperkeratosis) can also have an impact on the elasticity and integrity of the teat sphincter.

The teat sphincter can benefit from the usa of OZOLEA-MAST when it is weakened and results in a loss of elasticity. This effect is linked to how OZOLEA-MAST works.

OZOLEA-MAST consists of an intra-mammary applicator with a single ingredient: a pure vegetable oil, bio-engineered with exclusive OZOLEA technology. The bioengineering process modifies some of the oil’s fatty acid chains, thereby allowing the product, once in contact with the inner wall of the teat canal, to form a physical film barrier with two main functions:

create an uncomfortable environment for bacteria, thus slowing down the aggressiveness of possible bacterial attacks;
reserve a respite for the tissue from exposure to the external environment and from bacterial attack, allowing it to proceed with the natural regeneration process.

The mammary tissue, when intact, is able to defend itself properly from further possible aggressions. To ensure the best protection and to optimize the regeneration of the tissue, the application must be repeated after each milking for four days.

The particular bio-engineering process of OZOLEA-MAST guarantees that the oil is not absorbed or metabolized and does not cause pharmacological effects. Between one milking and the next, the applied oil comes out naturally from the teat sphincter, preventing further bacteria from rising and allowing the natural regeneration of the sphincter and, therefore, the recovery of its natural elasticity. Since it is completely harmless for the cow, it can be used promptly at the very first signs of udder tissue imbalance.

For dairy farmers from non-US countries, please e-mail us: info@ozolea.it

¹ Mammary epithelial tissue integrity is vital to autonomous defense mechanism.

https://www.ozolea.it/mammary-epithelial-tissue-integrity-is-vital-to-autonomous-defense-mechanism/

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When dairy cows will not benefit from the use of antibiotics

Marketing 7 April 2021 News

Mastitis can occur in dairy cows at different severity levels. In the past weeks (read “What milk changes tell us when we forestrip”), we made an overview about the visible signs at milk level according to the severity of the clinical or subclinical mastitis. All these aspects will help us act promptly with the proper decisions and solutions.

Not all mastitis cases need an antibiotic treatment

From his field activity, Mike Zurakowski, DVM (Cornell Quality Milk Production Services) was able to verify that around 85% of mastitis cases are mild or moderate. These are cases that do not require a systemic and immediate treatment: thus, waiting 24-36 hours for the treatment will not change the results. In this range of time, we evaluate for an autonomous regression of the disorder.

The remaining 15% of cases should be treated immediately and systematically.

Defining and developing a mastitis management plan is critical for the prevention and/or control of mastitis. This means that we must work methodically and find out any critical point that deserves higher attention on our dairy farms.

Moreover, milk cultures are crucial to determine what type of pathogens have caused the infection at udder level. Culturing the milk helps us to discriminate between contagious or environmental pathogens. It also gives clues about whether an antibiotic treatment is needed or not and, thus, what antibiotic has to be applied, if needed.

This approach follows a pathogen-based treatment decision pattern for mastitis. It is extremely useful: it can contribute to the prudent use of antibiotics; it allows the farmer to save money on health care and labor expenses; it helps decrease antibiotic residues in the milk tank and minimize milk losses; it mitigates the risk of antimicrobial resistance since the treatment will be targeted and clearly established on the basis of analyses.

Some dairy cows will not benefit from antibiotic usage

When dealing with mastitis, there are some situations in which treating affected animals with antibiotics will not be beneficial.

Long history of chronically high SCC

Each dairy cow has her own personal lactation history. We published in Hoard’s Dayriman Guest Blog an article discussing this issue. High SCC values in milk can be related both to bacterial factors (intra-mammary infections) and other factors (environmental changes, stressful conditions, micro-traumas, etc.). When the milk culture tells us that there is no infection in the udder, the udder tissue may be stressed because of other reasons. As we saw in HD Guest Blog, supporting and protecting the udder tissue are a helping hand in reducing chronically high SCC values. This can be one of the several applications of OZOLEA-MAST in lactating cows.

Repeated previous treatment failures

Last week, when we discussed how biofilms are involved in recurrence of clinical mastitis, we also said that there is a link with increased resistance to antimicrobial substances leading also to repeated failures in treating the cow with antibiotics. The effectiveness of the specific antibiotic relies also on the synergies between the active substance and the udder tissue: when the latter is stressed and damaged, these synergies are reduced. Protecting the damaged udder tissue would be beneficial for the antibiotic activity, as well. Another potential application for OZOLEA-MAST.

Chronic Staphylococcus aureus

S. aureus is a hostile enemy for dairy farmers. Subclinical infections caused by this bacterium remain the largest mastitis issue in dairy cattle: despite in vitro effectiveness of active substances, in vivo cure rates with antibiotics are very low during lactations and the infection tends to become chronic. The reason behind low cure rates lies in the ability of S. aureus to form micro-abscesses that prevent active substances from reaching the microorganism. Unfortunately, chronicization of the infection makes culling the only frequent option. S. aureus causes contagious mastitis; therefore, it is generally spread from cow to cow via milking equipment, the milker’s hands, and improper hygiene and milking sequence. We can control it through prevention of new infections and the culling of affected animals.

In case of S. aureus that gives milk flakes and up-and-down SCC values, OZOLEA-MAST can help mitigate these signs for better herd management while taking time to sort the problem out through the vaccination of the herd or the replacement of animals.

Mycoplasma bovis

Mycoplasma bovis is a respiratory pathogen and can cause polyarthritis in beef cattle. Moreover, it is also recognized as a primary pathogen of mastitis in dairy cows. The infection it causes can become persistent, characterized by progressive chronicization. In this case, affected dairy cows will not benefit from therapy since there are no effective antibiotics or vaccines for the treatment or prevention of the mammary infections generated by this pathogen. Again, in case of M. bovis infections culling is the option recommended for controlling.

Multiple infected quarters

When more than one quarter is affected by mastitis, the dairy farmers should better consider a clinical picture of the situation as their priority. Thus, veterinary advice becomes essential in this situation. Also in this case, supporting the udder tissue and protecting it will help us to take time to find the proper solution.

Damaged teats

Teats can be damaged in many different ways. Dairy cows can smash teats themselves, or injury can occur during milking. Damaged teats are more susceptible to infections: in this case, what should be treated first is the specific physical injury.

Other serious metabolic disease

There is a connection between mastitis and metabolic diseases in dairy cows. Metabolic diseases generally depend on nutrient deficiency or excess. A balanced diet is essential for the proper functioning of all the physiological mechanisms and defensive system in the dairy cow. As we had the opportunity to discuss, there is particular attention to nutritional aspects around calving. A weakened defensive system means major susceptibility to infections also at udder level.

No-growth milk cultures

Negative results when culturing milk mean that, if sampling, transport of samples and analysis have been conducted properly, the dairy cow has autonomously solved the infection thanks to the immune system. Thus, even if there are signs of mastitis, using antibiotics would be not necessary. We can instead support the functionality of the udder tissue with proper protection.