title: Effect of intrauterine dextrose or antibiotic therapy on reproductive performance of lactating dairy cows diagnosed with clinical endometritis.
abstract: The objectives of this study were to assess the responses to treatments (clinical cure and cow survival 14 d posttherapy) of cows with clinical endometritis (CE) that received intrauterine infusion of a hypertonic solution of 50% dextrose (DEX) or subcutaneous ceftiofur crystalline free acid (CCFA) and subsequent pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/AI) in cows with CE compared with cows without CE. Cows (n=760) from 2 dairy herds were screened for CE using vaginoscopy and measurement of cervix diameters [exam 1; 26±3 d in milk (DIM)]. Cows with vaginal discharge scores of 2 or 3 (scale 0-3) were stratified by parity and randomly allocated into 1 of 3 treatment groups: (1) intrauterine infusion (∼200 mL) of 50% DEX solution (n=79); (2) 6.6 mg/kg single-dose of subcutaneous administration of CCFA (n=75); or (3) untreated control animals (CON, n=83). Fourteen days posttherapy (at 40±3 DIM), cows with CE were re-examined (exam 2; 40±3 DIM) to assess the response to treatments. All cows were presynchronized with 2 injections of PGF(2α) given 14 d apart (starting at 26±3 DIM) followed by Ovsynch (OV; GnRH-7 d-PGF-56 h-GnRH 16 h-timed-AI) 12 to 14 d later. Cows displaying signs of standing estrus any time during the protocol were inseminated, whereas the remaining cows were subjected to timed AI 16 h after the second GnRH of OV. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed via transrectal ultrasonography at 39±3d post-AI followed by pregnancy reconfirmation 30 d after the first pregnancy diagnosis. Uterine swabs revealed that Arcanobacterium pyogenes and Escherichia coli were the most predominant bacteria isolated at the time of treatments. Mortality within 14 d posttherapy was not different among treatment groups. Cows with CE had greater cervical diameter at exam 1 and decreased P/AI compared with cows without CE. Treatment with CCFA or DEX increased the proportion of cows with clear vaginal discharge (score 0; clinical cure) 14 d posttherapy compared with CON cows. Pregnancy per AI from DEX (29.8±4%) cows tended to differ from that of CON (21.1±4%) or CCFA cows (19.7±4%), but it resulted in similar P/AI as those cows without CE (39.1±2%). The use of intrauterine DEX alone or as an adjunct of antibiotic therapy for the treatment of CE needs further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Brick
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Schuenemann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bas
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Daniels
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Rings
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Rajala-Schultz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004716:Endometritis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007038:Hypotonic Solutions; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000662:veterinary; D007774:Lactation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D014599:Uterus / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002511:Cephalosporins; D007038:Hypotonic Solutions; C053503:ceftiofur; D005947:Glucose