Bacteriocins in Veterinary Medicine: From Antibiotic Limitations to Targeted Solutions

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as one of the foremost global threats to public health, with the veterinary sector, responsible for nearly three-quarters of global antimicrobial consumption, representing an underappreciated epicenter of this crisis. Despite the extensive literature on bacteriocins as antibiotic alternatives, most reviews focus on human medicine or food preservation, leaving a conspicuous gap in evidence specific to veterinary medicine. The present review addresses this gap by examining the molecular basis of bacteriocin activity (lipid II, bacterial RNA polymerase, cytoplasmic membrane), strategies for clinical deployment (topical therapy, antibiotic combinations, disruption of biofilm tolerance), and preclinical evidence relevant to bovine mastitis, canine pyoderma and otitis externa, and infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens (MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus), MRSP (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius), colistin-resistant P. aeruginosa, XDR (extensively drug-resistant) Acinetobacter baumannii). Translational barriers—pharmacokinetic, regulatory, and evidentiary—are critically appraised, alongside emerging directions including precision nanocarriers, biofilm-targeted therapies, and the animal microbiota as a reservoir of novel molecules. Bacteriocins represent a promising yet underexploited antibacterial class in response to the escalating AMR crisis in the animal sector.