Abstract
Simple SummaryInflammation of the mammary gland (mastitis) is an important disease of dairy sheep. Mastitis management depends mainly on the diagnosis. Conventional diagnostic methods including somatic cell count, California Mastitis Test, and microbial culture have limitations. Therefore researchers are looking for new diagnostic biomarkers of mastitis including specific proteins produced by the liver in case of disease (acute phase proteins), unique genetic sequences (miRNAs), or antimicrobial peptides produced by immune cells during inflammation (cathelicidines).This review aims to characterize promising novel markers of ovine mastitis. Mastitis is considered as one of the primary factors for premature culling in dairy sheep and has noticeable financial, productional, and animal welfare-related implications. Furthermore, clinical, and subclinical mammary infections negatively affect milk yield and alter the milk composition, thereby leading to lowered quality of dairy products. It is, therefore, crucial to control and prevent mastitis through proper diagnosis, treatment or culling, and appropriate udder health management particularly at the end of the lactation period. The clinical form of mastitis is characterized by abnormalities in milk and mammary gland tissue alteration or systemic symptoms consequently causing minor diagnostic difficulties. However, to identify ewes with subclinical mastitis, laboratory diagnostics is crucial. Mastitis control is primarily dependent on determining somatic cell count (SCC) and the California Mastitis Test (CMT), which aim to detect the quantity of cells in the milk sample. The other useful diagnostic tool is microbial culture, which complements SCC and CMT. However, all mentioned diagnostic methods have their limitations and therefore novel biomarkers of ovine subclinical mastitis are highly desired. These sensitive indicators include acute-phase proteins, miRNA, and cathelicidins measurements, which could be determined in ovine serum and/or milk and in the future may become useful in early mastitis diagnostics as well as a preventive tool. This may contribute to increased detection of ovine mammary gland inflammation in sheep, especially in subclinical form, and consequently improves milk quality and quantity.
Highlights
Mammary gland inflammation is one of the most costly and severe diseases in the dairy industry [1]
A low ratio of casein to protein in high bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC) milk enhances the extension of the rennet coagulation time and curd firming time because there are more serum proteins, and the stability of casein micelles are reduced as a result of hydrolysis
Recent investigations and data carried over from humans, as well as veterinary medicine, show that acute-phase proteins (APP), microRNAs, and cathelicidins measurement may be the tools needed to improve the early diagnostics of ovine mastitis [43,44,45]
Summary
Mammary gland inflammation (mastitis) is one of the most costly and severe diseases in the dairy industry [1]. Negative impact does refer to economic reasons and significantly contributes to animals’ health and their welfare Another important perspective is the food safety (food-borne diseases) and quality of dairy products (such as cheese) since milk from affected animals may contain pathogenic bacteria and has altered composition undesired by the dairy industry [2,3]. In some countries due to climate and/or traditional or historical reasons milk is derived from other than cattle dairy species, for example, from small ruminants [5]. Goats and sheep are often kept in an environment with scarce grazing and unfavorable climatic conditions In some countries, they are considered as dairy animals of the poor because of the lower capital investment and low production costs required [6]. The bio (organic) products derived from organic farming are more and more popular in highly developed countries and this trend is expected to continue [11]
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