Abstract
The effects of intramammary dry cow therapy based on the administration of 5% Melaleuca alternifolia tea tree essential oil (TTO) as an internal teat sealant to Murrah cows were evaluated. A longitudinal prospective and retrospective negative control study was performed using 12 buffaloes from a total of 20 Murrah buffaloes on an organic farm, with the cow used as a control for herself. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for treatments with pure oil (TTO) and medication containing 5% TTO (O5) were determined. The buffaloes were clinically examined, and the teats were evaluated using thermography and ultrasound. Udder health was monitored during the first 100 days in milk (DIM) using milk somatic cell count (SCC) and California mastitis test (CMT). Laboratory tests against standard strains Staphylococcus aureus ATCC®25,923™, Escherichia coli ATCC®25,922™, and wild bacterial strains showed maximum MIC values of 50 µL/mL for the TTO and O5 treatments. One wild-type S. aureus strain showed no MBC. No adverse effects were observed after the intramammary application of TTO. The CMT and SCC values were similar (P > 0.05) for all observations. The medication containing 5% TTO was effective in vitro and compatible with the intramammary tissue in vivo of Murrah buffaloes. TTO was safe, not inducing inflammatory processes or other modifications of the teat detectable by thermography or ultrasound. It was able to protect buffaloes during the dry period under field conditions, demonstrating potential use as a teat sealant for organic farms.
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The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available, because there are clinical records, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Dexter Latina company for the support in the preparation of the experimental products and providing the necessary materials. To the Instituto Agronômico do Paraná—IAPAR, for the research opportunity in the institution. To CAPES—Fundação Araucária for the availability of a scholarship grant (Protocol number 88887.353854/2019-00) to the first author (Bruno I.C. de Oliveira) of the research. The authors declare that no other funds were received during the preparation of this manuscript.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by BICdO, FAFdS, SHW, and EARR. The first draft of the manuscript was written by BICdO, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. First concept, project administration, and funding acquisition were made by RDO.
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de Oliveira, B.I.C., Martinez, J.L., de Souza, F.A.F. et al. Utilizing intramammary Melaleuca alternifolia as an organic internal sealant for dry-off therapy in Murrah buffaloes. Trop Anim Health Prod 55, 381 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03797-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03797-9