PHArmACoKINeTIC AND PHArmACoDyNAmIC CoNSIDerATIoNS

INTroDuCTIoN Intramammary infection (mastitis) is the most common reason for the use of antimicrobials in dairy cows (Mitchell et al. 1998; Grave et al. 1999). Antimicrobials have been used to treat mastitis for more than fifty years, but consensus about the most efficient, safe, and economical treatment is still lacking. The concept of evidence-based medicine has been introduced to veterinary medicine (Cockcroft and Holmes 2003) and should apply also to treatment of mastitis. The impact on public health should be taken into account as dairy cows produce milk for consumption (OIE 2008). The aim of this article is to review current treatments of mastitis during lactation and seek for evidence-based, best practice treatment recommendations for bovine mastitis.