Comprehensive Review on Bovine Mastitis: Pathogenesis, Economic Impact, Diagnostic Innovations, and Sustainable Control Approaches

Bovine mastitis remains a major chronic inflammatory disease that affects dairy productivity and poses substantial economic and welfare challenges to dairy farming. The disease compromises both the quantity and quality of milk, elevates culling and replacement rates, and also increases overall management and veterinary costs. The major bacterial agents involved—Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Escherichia coli—are responsible for a wide spectrum of infections, ranging from subclinical to acute clinical forms. Although overt cases are readily recognized through udder inflammation and systemic illnesses, subclinical infections frequently remain undetected without any diagnostic screening. Traditional detection tools, including somatic cell counting and the California Mastitis Test, have been complemented by modern analytical approaches such as electrical conductivity assessment, thermographic imaging, ultrasonography, acute-phase protein profiling, and molecular identification through PCR, qPCR, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Recent advances in metabolomics, proteomics, and nanotechnology have further broadened the diagnostic and therapeutic perspectives by identifying novel biomarkers, resistance-associated genetic traits, and nanomaterial-based treatment options. Comprehensive herd management, emphasizing pre- and post-milking teat hygiene, environmental sanitation, and selective dry-cow therapyremains central to prevention. In the future, sustainable control strategies are expected to rely on next-generation high-accuracy diagnostic systems, reduced antibiotic dependence through immune-based or natural antimicrobial strategies, and genomic selection programs that enhance host resistance for long-term herd health.