Peter M. Eze

Bovine mastitis is a major inflammatory disease of the mammary gland, primarily caused by bacterial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus uberis, Escherichia coli, and others. It leads to significant economic losses in the global dairy industry, estimated at USD 22 billion annually. These losses arise from reduced milk yield, discarded milk due to antimicrobial residues, increased culling rates, and costs associated with veterinary care and labour. The rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) complicates treatment, with resistant strains reducing the efficacy of conventional antibiotics like penicillin, cephapirin, and ceftiofur. Current treatments involve intramammary infusions for localized infections and systemic antibiotics for severe cases, but limitations such as low cure rates, biofilm formation, and residue concerns necessitate novel approaches. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer a promising alternative due to their membrane-disrupting and multi-target mechanisms, which can combat multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria and potentially synergize with antibiotics to restore their efficacy. This research project proposes a novel, multi-pronged solution to the AMR crisis in mastitis treatment: the development of synergistic formulations that combine AMPs with traditional antibiotics. The project’s rationale is based on the principle of combination therapy, leveraging the membrane-disrupting and multi-target properties of AMPs to enhance the efficacy of antibiotics that have been rendered ineffective by AMR. The synergy between AMPs and antibiotics aims to reduce the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antibiotics, decrease the potential toxicity associated with high AMP doses, broaden the antimicrobial spectrum, and minimize resistance development—making this a promising solution for hard-to-treat bovine mastitis caused by MDR pathogens.