Efficacy of monolaurin in treatment of subclinical mastitis as adjudged by antioxidant profile in buffaloes

Abstract

Subclinical mastitis is a major threat to the dairy industry that usually gets unnoticed by the farmers but is responsible for huge economic losses owing to diminished milk production and quality and propagation of infection to other animals in milking. To date antimicrobials have been used to treat mastitis but recent reports of antimicrobial resistance have prompted us to think of concrete alternate approaches for treatment, the use of monoesters of lauric acid being one such alternate approach. Thirty animals positive for sub clinical mastitis were randomly divided into three groups of ten animals each and assigned different treatments. The efficacy was judged based on the tests performed pre and post therapy and results were compared statistically. Maximum efficacy was observed in the antibiotic treated group where all the animals recovered completely followed by antioxidant and lauric acid group (90%) and group treated with antioxidants alone (70%). The addition of monoesters of lauric acid in Group 2 can be the reason for higher therapeutic efficacy of Group 2.