Recent Advancements in Mastitis Management: Challenges and Opportunities-A Systematic Review

Mastitis is an intramammary inflammatory condition predominantly caused by infectious pathogens and remains a major threat to dairy animal health and productivity. It results in substantial economic losses due to reduced milk yield, compromised milk quality, increased veterinary expenditures, and elevated culling rates. Although multiple strategies are currently employed for mastitis management, their effectiveness remains variable. This review summarizes and critically evaluates recent emerging technologies and integrated approaches for mastitis management.

A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Database searches were performed using tailored keyword combinations related to mastitis etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostics, prevention, and therapeutic interventions. A total of 279 studies met the predefined eligibility criteria and were included in the final analysis.

Conventional diagnostic procedures, while extensively used, frequently lack acceptable sensitivity and specificity, necessitating the development of sophisticated diagnostic systems. Several therapeutic strategies have been tested, including antibiotics, immunotherapy, bacteriocins, bacteriophages, antimicrobial peptides, probiotics, stem cell therapy, native secretory factors, nutritional interventions, dry cow therapy, herbal formulations, and nanotechnology-based approaches. However, single-modality therapies generally fail to eliminate all pathogens or prevent illness recurrence.

The limited and uneven efficacy of traditional medicines emphasizes the need for novel, broad-spectrum, pleiotropic, and ecologically sustainable intervention options to combat rising antimicrobial resistance. Integrating sophisticated diagnostics with multi-targeted therapeutic and preventative methods has the potential to significantly improve treatment results and lower recurrence rates.

Mastitis continues to have a significant economic and animal health impact on the dairy sector. Precision diagnostics, together with multifaceted, sustainable management solutions, are crucial for combating antibiotic resistance, improving animal welfare, and assuring long-term productivity.