- Background
- What we're looking for
- What we can offer you
- Q&A
As a global leader in animal health, we support veterinarians and livestock producers through the development of medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic tools that enhance animal health and productivity.
Mastitis, an inflammatory condition of the mammary gland that typically results from bacterial infection, remains one of the most significant animal health challenges in dairy production. While clinical and subclinical mastitis have been extensively studied during lactation, there remains a gap in understanding and modeling the condition during the dry period—a non-lactating phase critical to udder recovery and future milk production.
Reliable, reproducible challenge models have been essential for advancing research for mastitis prevention and control in lactating cows. However, dry cow models still need to be established to support the development of new vaccines and therapeutic candidates under realistic, biologically relevant conditions.
We are looking for a dry cow mastitis challenge model that involves inducing clinical or subclinical mastitis consistently in ≥ 70% of challenged cows, or in ≥70% of the individually challenged sections of the udder (quarters) across enrolled cows.
We are also open to models involving heifers of breeding age, if not already pregnant. Some consideration will be given for models in dairy goats or sheep, but common dairy cattle breeds are preferred. Ideally, we would like an established model, but we are also open to co-developing a model with partners who have demonstrated expertise in mastitis or similar disease model development.
- Challenge model in cows or heifers using commonly observed mastitis pathogens (e.g., E. coli, Streptococcus uberis, and Staphylococcus aureus)
- Small ruminant challenge model in dairy goats or sheep using commonly observed mastitis pathogens
- Delivered to dairy animals during the dry period when no residual milk is left in the mammary gland
- Delivered locally to the mammary gland of dairy animals via common methodology (i.e., intramammary infusion or dip cup)
- Models using other pathogens or delivery routes must come with scientific evidence as to their relevance to mastitis observed in the field
- Reproducible across 2-3 studies with at least 8 animals per study
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Models in non-dairy production animals, including humans or rodents
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Models using pathogens not relevant to mastitis
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Models involving challenge delivered to lactating animals
The Q&A is now closed.
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