Study dispels myth of self-cure.
Research by Cornell University in the Journal of Dairy Science shows an 89% cure rate of mild or moderate E. coli mastitis infections—characterized by the cow not being sick or off feed but with visible signs of mastitis—when treated with extended intramammary antibiotic therapy.
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Conducted at five dairies with herds of 500 or more cows in New York, the trial evaluated the efficacy of treating mild and moderate cases of Gram-negative mastitis for five consecutive days with a Pfizer Animal Health product, Spectramast LC ceftiofur hydrochloride sterile suspension. The results support that antibiotic treatment of Gram-negative mastitis can be successful, including:
- For clinical mastitis caused by E. coli, 89% of the cows treated with Spectramast LC showed bacteriological, or complete, cures, compared with 53% of untreated control cows.
- Cows that were completely cured gave 8.8 lb. more milk at the second test day when compared with cows that were not cured.
- Herd survival was significantly higher in completely cured animals versus animals that we re not cured.
| Extended intra-mammary antibiotic therapy produces an 89% cure rate with Gram-negative mastitis, a recent study shows. |
“These results dispel the belief that Gram-negative bacteria do not respond to intramammary antibiotic therapy or that these infections will self-cure,” says Roger Saltman, director of cattle technical services for Pfizer Animal Health. “For those already using an extended duration of therapy protocol for Gram-negative infections, the results are apparent. Now, however, research clearly supports such treatment decisions.”
Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli cause 40% of all clinical mastitis cases.
—Edited by Dairy Today staff
