UI Researchers Looking At Mastitis In Cows, Humans

The University of Idaho recently announced that the National Institutes of Health will fund a $2.4 million research project, looking at mastitis in both pregnant women and dairy cows.  The bacterial related disease damages dairy industry productivity, and frustrates mothers looking to nourish their child.  Shelley McGuire is a nutritionist at the U of I, and she said while mastitis is typically only thought of in the dairy industry, it has a huge impact on women’s health as well.

“But, we are also looking at what is normal in human milk and bovine milk, and that sounds like a really simple thing.  But, actually we don’t know the composition of milk over, lets say the first two months of lactation, in terms of everything that’s in it, and what it looks like to be healthy.”

Dairy research Mark McGuire, will also work on the mastitis project.  He has been looking at potential causes of mastitis since 2005.

“So, looking at the dietary intake of various fatty acids, do they have an impact?  Where it is pretty established that there are certain fatty acids that have a pretty significant negative effect on the growth of mastitic pathogens, like staphylococcus.”

While researchers don’t know what causes mastitis, it’s through that an imbalance in a mix of microbes found in the mammary glands is responsible.

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