Molecular Approach to Bovine Mastitis Control: In Vitro Evaluation of Pathogen-Specific IgY Antibodies in a Host–Pathogen Epithelial Challenge Model of Bovine Mammary Epithelium
- 1Research and Development Department of Salmonella Center, IMMUNOLAB Ltd., Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland
- 2Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
- 3InLife Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Trylinskiego St. 18, 10-683 Olsztyn, Poland
Abstract
Bovine mastitis causes severe economic losses in the dairy industry and relies heavily on antimicrobial treatments, accelerating the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Avian egg yolk antibodies (IgY) offer a promising, sustainable alternative. This study evaluated the in vitro efficacy of pathogen-specific IgY against major mastitis-causing bacteria isolated from over 100 environmental dairy samples. Laying hens were immunized with inactivated native strains to produce targeted IgY. The extracted antibodies underwent rigorous quality control, including purity, agglutination titers, and endotoxin level assessments. Their inhibitory effects were evaluated in both standard broth medium and a host–pathogen challenge model utilizing bovine teat and lactiferous sinus epithelial cells. The isolated IgY antibodies exhibited high purity and strong antigen-specific agglutination. Functionally, the specific IgY effectively inhibited the growth of targeted pathogens (including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp. and Streptococcus spp.) in the liquid medium. Crucially, this significant inhibitory effect was consistently maintained in the host–pathogen challenge model, indicating robust pathogen neutralization capabilities. These in vitro findings demonstrate that targeted IgY antibodies can effectively suppress mastitis-related bacteria in environments mimicking the host epithelium. This highlights the potential of IgY technology as a safe, non-antibiotic intervention strategy for bovine mastitis, strongly supporting the One Health approach.
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BibTeX
@article{czoska2026molecular,
title = {{Molecular Approach to Bovine Mastitis Control: In Vitro Evaluation of Pathogen-Specific IgY Antibodies in a Host–Pathogen Epithelial Challenge Model of Bovine Mammary Epithelium}},
author = {Paulina Czoska and Hanna Sominka-Pierzchlewicz and Magdalena Ponichtera and Sandra Słomińska and Aleksandra Stodolna and Natalia Sowa-Rogozińska and Klaudia Wiśniewska and Karolina Łukasik and Dariusz Skarżyński},
journal = {Biomolecules},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/biom16111612},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/16/11/1612},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Molecular Approach to Bovine Mastitis Control: In Vitro Evaluation of Pathogen-Specific IgY Antibodies in a Host–Pathogen Epithelial Challenge Model of Bovine Mammary Epithelium
AU - Paulina Czoska
AU - Hanna Sominka-Pierzchlewicz
AU - Magdalena Ponichtera
AU - Sandra Słomińska
AU - Aleksandra Stodolna
AU - Natalia Sowa-Rogozińska
AU - Klaudia Wiśniewska
AU - Karolina Łukasik
AU - Dariusz Skarżyński
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Biomolecules
DO - 10.3390/biom16111612
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/16/11/1612
AB - Bovine mastitis causes severe economic losses in the dairy industry and relies heavily on antimicrobial treatments, accelerating the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Avian egg yolk antibodies (IgY) offer a promising, sustainable alternative. This study evaluated the in vitro efficacy of pathogen-specific IgY against major mastitis-causing bacteria isolated from over 100 environmental dairy samples. Laying hens were immunized with inactivated native strains to produce targeted IgY. The extracted antibodies underwent rigorous quality control, including purity, agglutination titers, and endotoxin level assessments. Their inhibitory effects were evaluated in both standard broth medium and a host–pathogen challenge model utilizing bovine teat and lactiferous sinus epithelial cells. The isolated IgY antibodies exhibited high purity and strong antigen-specific agglutination. Functionally, the specific IgY effectively inhibited the growth of targeted pathogens (including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp. and Streptococcus spp.) in the liquid medium. Crucially, this significant inhibitory effect was consistently maintained in the host–pathogen challenge model, indicating robust pathogen neutralization capabilities. These in vitro findings demonstrate that targeted IgY antibodies can effectively suppress mastitis-related bacteria in environments mimicking the host epithelium. This highlights the potential of IgY technology as a safe, non-antibiotic intervention strategy for bovine mastitis, strongly supporting the One Health approach.
SN - 2218-273X
ER -