Reducing, Refining and Monitoring Antibiotic Use in Dairy Production

"Mastitis is a major reason for antibiotic use is dairy cows and the health, welfare, economic and environmental impacts of mastitis in dairy cows are considerable. For mastitis control to be effective and to minimise antibiotic use, it is necessary to identify and prevent new infections from occurring. It has become clear in recent years that there is large variation in how pathogenic strains of bacteria that cause mastitis behave on farm. These variations occur within each species and are known as sub-species or strain variations. Understanding how different strains of pathogenic bacteria behave is the key to preventing mastitis; it informs both treatment and preventive strategies and allows us to refine and reduce antibiotic use. As well as reducing and refining antibiotic use, there is also a need to monitor the impact of antibiotic use on farms.

In this research we aim to create a fast throughput biological system, to differentiate strains of mastitis pathogens so that the use of antibiotics can be minimised. For different groups, we will predict behaviour and hence optimal methods of treatment and prevention. We will create, for the first time, a fast throughput system that identifies mastitis pathogens at sub-species level and predicts antimicrobial resistance properties and likelihood of success of different therapeutic strategies. In addition, we will use the same technology to develop a method of monitoring the impact of antibiotic use on dairy farms thereby proving a means of safeguarding human and animal health and enhancing consumer confidence."