The Prevalence of Klebsiella spp. Associated With Bovine Mastitis in China and Its Antimicrobial Resistance Rate: A Meta-Analysis

Understanding distribution of bovine mastitis pathogen Klebsiella spp. can contribute to the treatment decision and the control within programs of bovine mastitis, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance rates of Klebsiella spp. associated with bovine mastitis in China. Three databases, namely, PubMed, Google scholar, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, were utilized to obtain relevant publications. According to PRISMA reporting standards, a total of 38 publications were included in the research, among them, 7 papers included an AMR test. The pooled prevalence of Klebsiella spp. was 5.41% (95% CI: 3.87-7.50%). Subgroup analysis revealed that the prevalence was higher in South China (8.55%, 95% CI: 3.57-19.09%) than in North China (4.22%, 95% CI: 2.46-7.14%), in 2010-2020 (7.45%, 95% CI: 5.29-110.40%) than in 2000-2010 (3.14%, 95% CI: 1.90-15.14%), and in the clinical bovine mastitis cases (7.49%, 95% CI: 3.71-14.54%) than in the subclinical cases (4.03%, 95% CI: 1.55-10.08%). The pooled AMR rate revealed that Klebsiella spp. were most resistant to sulfonamides (45.07%, 95% CI: 27.72-63.71%), followed by tetracyclines (36.18%, 95% CI: 23.36-51.34%), aminoglycosides (27.47%, 95% CI: 17.16-40.92%), beta-lactams (27.35%, 95% CI: 16.90-41.05%), amphenicol (26.82%, 95% CI: 14.17-44.87%), lincosamides (21.24%, 95% CI: 7.65-46.75%), macrolides (20.98%, 95% CI: 7.20-47.58%), polypeptides (15.51%, 95% CI: 6.46-32.78%), and quinolones (7.8%, 95% CI: 3.25-17.56%). The climate difference between South and North China and the natural pathogenicity of Klebsiella spp. may be the primary reasons for its distribution, and the prevalence of Klebsiella spp. indicated that the genus is an increasing hazard to the dairy industry. The prevalence of AMR in China is commonly higher than in the European countries and Canada, this is a very important concern for strategy programs to control bovine mastitis caused by Klebsiella spp. in China.

Automated summary

Understanding the distribution and antimicrobial resistance rates of Klebsiella spp. associated with bovine mastitis in China is crucial for treatment decision-making and control programs. This meta-analysis revealed a high prevalence of Klebsiella spp. in China, particularly in South China and clinical cases. The study also found high levels of antimicrobial resistance in Klebsiella spp. towards various antibiotics. These findings have important implications for the development and implementation of strategies to control bovine mastitis caused by Klebsiella spp. in China.