Targeting the Sub-Clinical Mastitis through Centratherum anthelminticum in Buffalo

Sub-Clinical Mastitis (SCM) is an inflammatory disordered affecting parenchymal cells of mammary gland, and is a major challenge in dairy business. In dairy-dependent countries like Pakistan, this is especially very difficult to diagnose, and treat SCM. This study examined the potential of Centratherum anthelminticum (C. anthelminticum) in SCM, and its potential to improve the quality of milk in buffalo. For this purpose, twenty animals were tested for SCM with California mastitis test (CMT), and fifteen were found CMT positive. These fifteen animals were divide into three groups (5 each group); G1 group were treated with Tylosin, and served as control group, while G2 were treated with combination Tylosin + C. anthelminticum, and G3 was treated with C. anthelminticum alone for 7 days, and severed as experimental groups. The CMT results after treatment showed that, the experimental groups (G2&G3) became CMT negative like control group (G1). Standard plate count (SPC) were used to measure udder inflammation, and showed a significant decrease in G2, indicating a strong treatment effect. The results suggest that, milk solids not fat (SNF), lactose, milk fat, and milk protein levels found significant in the milk of SCM treated buffalo. White blood cell (WBC) count decreased significantly in both G1 and G2, while red blood cell (RBC) count increased significantly in G2. Another hand, the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels significantly decreased across all treatment groups, with group 2 showing a highly significant reduction, while total oxidant status (TOS) levels were initially high, but significantly declined by day 8 in all groups, indicating reduced oxidative stress. In conclusion, the combination of Tylosin and C. anthelminticum (G2) appeared to be most effective in treating SCM in buffaloes, but remained non-significant to improve milk quality. Further detail studies are suggested to investigate the potential of C. anthelminticum to improve the milk quality in SCM treated buffalo.