Mastitis is considered to be the most costly disease affecting the dairy industry. Management strategies
involve the extensive use of antibiotics to treat and prevent this disease. Prophylactic dosages of
antibiotics used in mastitis control programmes could select for strains with resistance to antibiotics. In
addition, a strong drive towards reducing antibiotic residues in animal food products has lead to research in
finding alternative antimicrobial agents.
In this review we have focus on the pathogenesis of the mastitis in dairy cows, existing antibiotic
treatments and possible alternative for application of bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria in the treatment
and prevention of this disease.
