Studies on therapeutic management of coliform mastitis cases of lactating buffaloes

Bovine mastitis is the inflammation of udder parenchyma, and more than 140 species of bacterial pathogens have been reported to be its etiology. Among these bacteria, coliforms are commonly present in feces and the indoor environment and may lead to subclinical to severe clinical signs. The success rate of its treatment is limited. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of antimicrobial treatment of coliform mastitis in Indian water buffaloes. A total of 46 milk samples from buffaloes suffering from clinical mastitis were selected in periurban areas of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. Milk samples were collected aseptically, cultured on general growth media and selective media, and identified based on colony morphology, biochemical characteristics, and further confirmed by PCR using specific primers. Out of the 46 milk samples from clinical mastitis cases, E. coli was isolated from 06 (13.04%) milk samples. In vitro antimicrobial sensitivity assays indicated that fluoroquinolones showed an intermediate level of sensitivity, while bacteria were resistant to commonly used antibiotics such as Amoxicillin, Gentamicin, Amikacin, Cephalosporins, etc. Based on the antimicrobial sensitivity tests, marbofloxacin, a synthetic quinolone, was selected and used to treat coliform mastitis in all 06 buffaloes. Treatment of buffaloes with marbofloxacin and other symptomatic drugs like flunixin meglumine showed a high level of clinical improvement. The study concludes that systemic administration of marbofloxacin and Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be effectively used to control E. coli mastitis and are recommended for coliform mastitis. The presence of multi-drug resistant E. coli in the dairy environment may pose a potential hazard to human health, thus requiring a one-health approach to combat the threat.