One Health Perspectives on Ruminant Mastitis: Animal Health and Nutrition, Milk Safety, Microbiome, and Public Health Interfaces

Dear Colleagues,

Mastitis is one of the most significant health challenges in dairy ruminants, driving production losses, veterinary costs, and antibiotic use whilst shaping animal welfare, farm economics, milk quality, consumer trust, and public health. A One Health perspective—integrating animal health and nutrition, microbial ecology, milk safety, shared biological mechanisms (e.g., the mammary microenvironment), cross-species insights, and environmental determinants—offers a holistic lens for addressing this complex disease.

Traditional approaches often compartmentalize research between veterinary science and food safety. This Special Issue, “One Health Perspectives on Ruminant Mastitis: Animal Health and Nutrition, Milk Safety, Microbiome, and Public Health Interfaces,” aims to bridge these disciplines with a collection of cutting-edge research, reviews, and meta-analyses, and short communications that explore the complex, interconnected dynamics of mastitis across the entire production chain. We welcome contributions that explore (but are not limited to) the following themes:

Animal Health and Nutrition Strategies

• Nutritional Interventions: The role of macro- and micro-nutrients (e.g., vitamins, trace minerals, fatty acids) in bolstering ruminant immune responses and udder resistance to infection.
• Preventive Management: Innovative on-farm practices, housing conditions, and genetic selection strategies for reducing mastitis incidence.
• Novel Therapeutics: Research on non-antibiotic treatments, alternative therapies, and responsible antibiotic stewardship in livestock management.

Milk Safety and Quality Assurance

• Contaminant Monitoring: Detection and mitigation of pathogens, antibiotic residues, and somatic cells in the milk supply chain.
• Processing Innovations: The impact of modern milk processing technologies (e.g., pasteurization, high-pressure processing) on the safety and nutritional integrity of milk derived from mastitic animals.
• Regulatory Frameworks: Analysis of global standards and safety regulations concerning milk quality and public health protection.

The Microbiome and Microbial Ecology

• Udder Microbiome Dynamics: Characterizing the healthy and dysbiotic intramammary microbiome using advanced sequencing technologies.
• Pathogen Virulence and Resistance: Understanding the emergence, persistence, and transmission dynamics of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) within the farm environment and the milk matrix.
• Microbiome–Host Interactions: Exploring the interplay between the udder microbiome, host immunity, and disease outcome.
• Microbiome Interfaces: The role of mammary, gut, and environmental microbiomes in mastitis susceptibility and control; microbiome-based interventions such as probiotics and bacteriocins.

Public Health and Policy Interfaces

• Zoonotic Potential: Risk assessment and epidemiology of mastitis-related pathogens that pose a threat to human health.
• Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Surveillance: Tracking the flow of AMR genes from farm environments to the broader ecosystem and human food chain.
• Economic and Social Impacts: The broader socioeconomic implications of mastitis for sustainable agriculture, food security, and rural livelihoods.

Innovations and Policy:

• Rapid diagnostics, selective therapy, non-antibiotic interventions, and cross-sector frameworks for stewardship and sustainability.

Audience and Impact

This Special Issue will provide a platform for veterinarians, microbiologists, nutritionists, food safety experts, public health professionals, and policymakers to share knowledge and foster collaboration. By bridging disciplines, the issue will advance integrated strategies for mastitis control, milk safety, and One Health sustainability.

For inquiries about the scope of the Special Issue or further details on the submission process, please contact the Guest Editors.

Dr. Rine Christopher Reuben
Prof. Dr. Kiran Ambatipudi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• mastitis
• milk safety
• One Health
• public health