Beyond antibiotics: Peptides and proteins to tackle bovine mastitis
Summary
As antibiotic resistance continues to rise, the need for novel treatment options and infection prevention strategies has never been more urgent. This is especially true for bovine mastitis, which is among the leading drivers for antibiotic use in agriculture worldwide. Finding effective alternatives is therefore essential for both animal health and sustainable food production. Among the most promising candidates are antimicrobial peptides (bacteriocins) and bacteriolytic enzymes (enzybiotics). In the Norwegian–Polish collaboration project PrevEco, we conducted a comprehensive study of how these agents can be applied in a mastitis context. The project progressed from discovery and design of new antimicrobial molecules, through optimization of production processes to improve yield and reduce cost, to conducting in vivo testing and pilot field trials under real farm conditions. Although still in the early stages, the results demonstrated that combinations of antimicrobial peptides and proteins offer a promising strategy to reduce the mastitis disease burden without relying on classical antibiotics.
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