Volume 4 Number 1 2026
Bovine Mastitis in Bangladesh: Prevalence, Bacterial Aetiology, and Antimicrobial Resistance-A One Health Perspective
Md Rakin Absar1, Sadat Bin Rafique1, Md Wajed Ali2, Tayeba Tabassum1, Abdullah Al Muntasir1, Nazmul Huda1, Nazmus Sakib1, Syed Sarwar Jahan1, Md Akhtarul Islam1*, Md Shariful Islam1*
Livestock Research 4 (1) 1-8 https://doi.org/10.25163/livestock.4110940
Submitted: 17 August 2026 Revised: 06 October 2026 Accepted: 09 October 2026 Published: 12 October 2026
Bovine mastitis remains the most economically damaging disease facing Bangladesh’s dairy sector, which relies overwhelmingly on smallholders with one to three cows that produce the bulk of national milk output. This narrative review synthesizes fifteen years (2011–2025) of Bangladeshi literature across six databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, BanglaJOL, ResearchGate, and Scopus) to map the disease’s burden, bacterial drivers, and public health stakes. The evidence is striking: subclinical mastitis (SCM) silently affects 20–71.9% of cows and over 70% of herds, far outweighing clinical disease (7.4–15% of animals), while Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus species dominate as causative agents alongside a growing non-aureus staphylococcal contribution. More alarming is the resistance profile: multidrug resistance affects 64–98% of isolates, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (mecA-positive in 20–21.4%) and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae are now established, converging with the widespread sale of raw, unpasteurized milk to create a zoonotic pathway from udder to consumer. Crossbred susceptibility, higher parity, poor udder hygiene, and the near-total absence of dry cow therapy and routine screening consistently predict infection. Yet Bangladesh still lacks a coordinated national surveillance system, standardized diagnostic protocols, and more than fragmentary molecular characterization of circulating strains. Closing this gap, through affordable point-of-care tools such as the BLRI Mastitis Test, stronger antimicrobial stewardship, and an integrated One Health surveillance framework, is essential to protect both dairy productivity and the health of those who depend on it.
Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; Bangladesh; Bovine mastitis; One Health; Subclinical mastitis
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