New alternative class of antibiotics for dairy farms compatible with the one health concept

In bovine dairy production, mastitis, especially those caused by S. aureus, is a major challenge. It leads to a reduction in milk production and quality, causes withdrawal time during antibiotic treatment, and chronically infected cows produce less milk, sometimes requiring them to be culled. This disease is estimated to result in losses of $662 per cow (Aghamohammadi 2018), and with over 350,000 cows in Quebec, the costs amount to over $200 million annually for Dairy Producers. Mastitis is generally treated with antibiotics, but those caused by S. aureus present specific issues. Commercial antibiotics are either ineffective, discontinued, or their use in animals is heavily restricted. To address these challenges, we are developing a new class of antibiotics with a unique mode of action specifically for the treatment of S. aureus mastitis.