title: Prevalence and accompanying signs of pneumovagina and urovagina in dairy cows in the Southern Marmara region.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Studies on the prevalence of pneumo- and urovagina in cows are rare. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the most common accompanying clinical signs of pneumo- and urovagina in dairy cows.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 2007 and 2010 a total of 1167 Holstein and Brown Swiss cows were examined clinically and bacteriologically. Pneumovagina was diagnosed if air was sucked in or expelled from the vagina spontaneously at any time. Urovagina was defined as the accumulation of urine at the fornix of the vagina.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of pneumovagina and urovagina were 19.2% (n=224) and 3.1% (n=36), respectively. Several clinical findings were accompanying pneumovagina in affected cows. 77.7% of cows having pneumovagina additionally displayed foamy vaginal discharge during estrous. Passive urinary flow out of the vulva could be observed due to pressure during rectal examination in some cows with urovagina. Bacteriological examination of uterine swaps from 111 cows with pneumovagina yielded a positive result in 95.5% of the cases. Uterine samples from 20 control animals were bacteriologically positive in 45% of the cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pneumovagina in cows has a much higher prevalence than published before and causes uterine infection, endometritis and infertility due to fecal contamination. Urovagina is always an accompanying sign in severe cases of pneumovagina. Foamy vaginal discharge during estrous can be regarded as pathognomonic and early sign of pneumovagina also in very mild cases. Evacuation of the uterus after parturition and a decrease in body condition score due to negative energy balance causes an increased negative intraabdominal pressure. These conditions seem to trigger the development of pneumo- and urovagina. For this reason repeat-breeders and especially cows with foamy vaginal discharge during estrous, passive urinary leakage and an angulated vulva dorsal to the ischiadic arch should be carefully examined for pneumovagina.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Uludag University, Gorukle Campus, 16059 Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Goncagul
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seyrek Intas
authors.forename: I H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Kumru
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Seyrek Intas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003612:Dairying / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004716:Endometritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D015995:Prevalence; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014623:Vaginal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*