Mastitis

In News 

• A poly-herbal and cost-effective medicine has been developed to treat Mastitis.

About 

• The medicine called Mastirak Gel was developed by National Innovation Foundation (NIF).
• It has been developed utilising indigenous knowledge systems shared by a farmer from Gujarat.
  • It has been commercialized through the industry partner Rakesh Pharmaceuticals.
• A gel preparation has been developed for topical application over the affected udder surface.
• Benefits : 
  • It was found that the medication could minimize Somatic Cell Count (SCC) and improve the udder health. 
    • The Somatic Cell Count is a parameter noted globally, and efforts are fine-tuned in reducing the SCC in milk at the standard limit.  
  • Polyherbal medicine reduces inflammation which is detrimental to the udder.
    • Dairy owners in eight states of the country — Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh have benefited by adopting Mastorak-anti mastitis herbal medication. It has reduced the use of antibiotics and helped in the cost-effective management of the disease.

About Mastitis 

• It is an infectious disease of dairy cattle resulting in an inflammatory reaction in the mammary gland of the cow. 
• It is characterized by various degrees of severity – ranging from a mild disease with no gross changes in the secretion (milk) but an increase in inflammatory cells (somatic cells) in the milk.
•  It may be accompanied by signs of inflammation in the mammary gland including swelling, redness, and painfulness. 
• It affects farm productivity due to a fall in milk quality, thus impacting income-generating activities. 

Source: PIB