New research from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University (MSU) finds that dairy producers overtreat cows diagnosed with non-severe cases of clinical mastitis, which is a possible threat to human health. The study was supported by a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) Food Safety Challenge Grant.
In dairy cows, mastitis is the inflammation of mammary glands in the udder, usually caused by a bacterial infection that leads to decreased quantity and quality of milk.