Epi. 239 – Fighting Infection vs. Inflammation and the Benefits of Short-duration Mastitis Treatment – Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Linda Tikofsky, Senior Associate Director, Cattle Professional Services with Boehringer Ingelheim, and Dr. Amy Vasquez, Assistant Professor of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Services at Cornell University with the Quality Milk Production Services (QMPS). This podcast is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim as part of their sponsorship package of the 2025 AABP Recent Graduate Conference opening dinner reception. 

For years, common mastitis treatment decisions have focused on resolving visible inflammation rather than targeting only the infection which often leads to overtreatment. This episode explores the evolution of mastitis treatment, the latest research on protocol trends and producer decision making and the benefits of short-duration treatment.

The average case of clinical mastitis lasts 4-6 days, which is beyond the labeled duration of therapy for mastitis intramammary tubes. Utilizing a protocol with a specified duration of therapy and based on pathogen profiles and culture data from the farm, can significantly decrease antibiotic use, decrease milk discard times, prevent violative residues, and be economically advantageous to the producer. Our guests also discuss steps for success in implementing short-duration therapy on farms. This includes appropriate case selection, identifying expectations, review of culture data and records, taking small steps with a culture-based treatment protocol, and ensuring compliance with the written protocol. 

For more information, visit https://bi-animalhealth.com/cattle/. Further information about mastitis management can be found at https://bi-animalhealth.com/cattle/dairy/mastitis-management. Learn about the Mastitis 3600 initiative from Boehringer Ingelheim at https://bi-animalhealth.com/cattle/dairy/mastitis-portfolio.

 Links to papers discussed in this episode:

Clinical outcome comparison of immediate blanket treatment versus a delayed pathogen-based treatment protocol for clinical mastitis in a New York dairy herd https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-11614

Understanding the effect of producers’ attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control on intentions to use antimicrobials prudently on New York dairy farms https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222442

Perceived barriers of dairy producers to the adoption of selective antimicrobial therapies for non-severe clinical mastitis and at dry-off in dairy cattle: A focus group study in Ontario, Canada https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2025-26491

Randomized noninferiority trial comparing 2 commercial intramammary antibiotics for the treatment of nonsevere clinical mastitis in dairy cows https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-11258