Nanostructures Aid Mastitis Fight in Brazilian Research
BRAZIL - A product based on nanotechnology is the new focus of agricultural research to tackle bovine mastitis - inflammation of the mammary gland that affects dairy herds worldwide.
5 August 2016
1 minute read
The product was developed by Brazilian research organisation Embrapa Dairy Cattle and the Federal University of Ouro Preto, and they are now seeking partners from the pharmaceutical industry interested in bringing the product to market.
Researcher Guilherme Nunes de Souza estimates that in the US, where statistics on the issue are more advanced, mastitis causes annual losses of around two billion dollars a year due to reduced production of milk, drug costs and veterinary fees.
Researcher Humberto de Mello Brandão said that antibiotics are not always fully effective in combating mastitis, and he has been working on the development of nanostructures to improve their effectiveness for ten years.
Whilst the drug itself remains the same when using the nanostructures, the delivery of the drug to the appropriate cells is greatly improved.
Humberto Brandão pointed out that good results were obtained with half the antibiotic dose. "In our research, the number of animals carrying infectious mastitis decreased," said the researcher, who added: "The drug also demonstrated potential to prevent new infections."
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