Great economical impact

Svenska

Mastitis is an infection in the udder caused by a few bacterial species. Staphylococcus aureus causes 25 to 40% of all cases of mastitis and is also the most costly and difficult to treat. In Sweden there are about 380.000 cows and of these, about 75.000 are treated each year with antibiotics against acute mastitis. The number of dairy cows varies between different countries. Denmark and the Netherlands have approx. 750.000 and 2.6 millions, respectively. The costs for each case of mastitis has in Sweden been estimated to be around SEK 3.300 due to reduced milk production, rejected milk and costs for treatment. In the US, with more than nine million cows, the annual cost is estimated to USD50 per cow in the whole population. Also minor increases in milk production and reduction of the number of cases of mastitis have a major impact for the economy in this sector. The global demand for milk and dairy products is steadily growing.