Treatment of clinically severe bovine mastitis – a scoping review

Mastitis is a major health problem for bovines and can be categorized as non-severe or severe, based on clinical symptoms. A severe case of clinical mastitis is usually defined by the cow being affected systemically. It is important to consider how to handle severe cases because these cases can be fatal and cause high production losses. However, there are generally few detailed treatment guidelines. By conducting a scoping review on the topic, we aimed to synthesize the information that is available on treatment and outcomes, as reported from clinical trials and observational studies. This was facilitated by following the PRISMA-guidelines with a stepwise systematic screening of scientific literature on the subject, retrieved via Pubmed and Web of Science, using pre-defined selection criteria. The results yielded a total of 14 reports of treatment and outcomes in cases of naturally occurring severe clinical mastitis. Cross-trial comparison was difficult due to the different exclusion criteria and outcome definitions. Many studies focused on cases caused by gram-negative bacteria treated with intensive antibiotic protocols, often containing antibiotics that are categorized as critical for human health. Few focused on severe cases caused by gram-positive bacteria or on the relative use of non-antibiotic treatment. In general, only a small number of statistically significant differences were found in trials comparing different treatment protocols, with no obvious trends across trials. Our findings emphasize the need for more research into the treatment efficacy of antibiotic and non-antibiotic options for clinically severe mastitis. Furthermore, consideration of how trial conditions relate to the practical circumstances in a field setting could improve the applicability of reported results. This could help to provide practitioners with the information needed to make evidence-based treatment decisions in cases of clinically severe mastitis.