Abstract

Ronald Costal Alves , Diego Luiz Duarte , Thiago David , Alberto Silvia

Mastitis is a disease of significant economical importance that affects farming and is a limiting factor in the world agribusiness of dairy cattle. It causes a considerable economic loss in milk production as a result of mammary gland inflammation. On that matter, the infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus also present public health implications, considering that thermostable toxins produced by this bacterium may remain stable in milk. This bacterium specie stands out as the cause of the higher incidence of mastitis due to its high resistance to antibiotics as a result of the indiscriminate use of these therapeutic agents. In this context, the process of discovering new antimicrobial agents is extremely important in a stage of rapid development of bacterial resistance. Thus, medicinal plants may be explored as alternative agents for treatment of this important animal disease. This minireview intends to enlighten briefly this disease, its economical and medical features using Brazil, one of the top-ten biggest dairy producers, as an example of the mastitis economical importance to point it out as a target for further research on medicinal plants, exploring their potential as new therapeutic options for treating mastitis.