The antibacterial effect of bee venom on subclinical mastitis agents: an alternative for local treatment

Abstract

Subclinical mastitis is an important problem in terms of the dairy economy all over the world and due to the increasing antibiotic resistance day by day, there is a great need for new antibiotic alternatives and natural products. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of bee venom against bacterial mastitis agents. Methods, such as well diffusion, disc diffusion, microdilution and time-kill analyses, were applied to 12 bacteria species isolated from milk samples. Effective results were obtained in microdilution and time-kill analysis. MIC values were determined in the range of 12.5–50 µg/ml and time-kill times were observed in the range of 1–24 h. In addition, bacterial suspensions from 12 species were prepared and there were effective against mixed infection in vitro. As a result, bee venom, as an antibiotic alternative, can give satisfactory results in the treatment of subclinical mastitis and mixed infections. Field studies and treatment trials should be emphasized.