In vitro synergistic activities of cefazolin and nisin A against mastitis pathogens

First-generation cephalosporins such as cefazolin (CEZ) have been widely used for mastitis treatment in dairy cattle. However, the use of antibiotics results in the presence of antibiotic residues in milk, which is used for human consumption. Nisin A, a bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus lactis, has been used as a broad-spectrum food preservative for over 50 years. Therefore, a combination of CEZ and nisin A might provide an extended activity spectrum against mastitis pathogens and reduce the antibiotic dose for mastitis treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the combined effect of CEZ and nisin A against mastitis pathogens using the checkerboard and time-kill assays. In the checkerboard assay, the CEZ-nisin A combination exhibited a synergistic effect against Staphylococcus aureus (n= 20/20) and Enterococcus faecalis (n= 13/18), and meanwhile exhibited a mostly additive effect against Staphylococcus intermedius (n= 12/20), Streptococcus agalactiae (n= 10/10), Streptococcus dysgalactiae (n= 18/18), and Escherichia coli (n= 14/18). There were no indifferent or antagonistic effects between CEZ and nisin A. In the time-kill assay, the CEZ-nisin A combination at 0.5 x or 1 x minimum inhibitory concentration exhibited synergistic reduction of bacterial growth by over 3 log(10) colony forming units per ml relative to that observed with either antimicrobial substance alone. These results suggest that the CEZ-nisin A combination can be used for developing an intramammary infusion for mastitis treatment, with lower antibiotic concentrations than normal.