[Therapeutic aspects of coli mastitis in ruminants]

Cows with coliform mastitis showed, in addition to fever, tachycardia and ruminal stasis and a concatenation of nonspecific responses, such as neutrophylic leukopenia followed by leukocytosis, lymphopenia, hypocalcaemia, hypoferraemia, hypozincaemia, and hypercupremia, and changes in the concentration of certain serum proteins. Similar responses occurred in cows and goats when mastitis was induced by an E. coli endotoxin or following the i/v injection of such endotoxin. Research suggested that in cows with clinical mastitis the symptoms of a generalized disease were predominantly the result of the release of phagocyte endogenous proteins at the site of inflammation in the mammary gland. Another inflammatory protein was the leukocytic endothelial mediator which changed the plasma concentrations of trace elements. Local treatment with the rather toxic antibiotic, polymyxin B, blocked the effect of the endotoxin administered via the udder on plasma Zn and Fe values. Therefore, local treatment with this drug seemed to be indicated with cows having E. coli mastitis. Based on pharmacokinetic behaviour parenteral treatment of such cows with trimethoprim or chloramphenicol appeared to be interest. Furthermore fluboprofen, a nonsteroid antiinflammatory agent was shown to possess a beneficial effect in cows with experimental E. coli mastitis.