Efficacy of Intrauterine Dextrose Therapy on Fertility of Lactating Dairy Cows Diagnosed with Clinical Endometritis

Abstract

Clinical endometritis (CE) is a common uterine disorder in high producing dairy cows that negatively impacts reproductive performance, thus diminishing profitability and sustainability. Reducing pathogenic bacteria load and uterine inflammation while enhancing immune defense are the general principle for endometritis therapy. An in vitro study has shown mannose to inhibit the adhesion of bacteria to the epithelial cells of the equine endometrium (King et al, AJVR 61:446, 2000). The use of PGF2alpha (PG) is generally recommended, but the lack of concrete experimental evidences makes it difficult to promote an effective therapy approach for CE. Therefore, the use of non-pharmaceutical antimicrobial therapy (50% dextrose in water) that targets the uterine environment rather than the bacterial pathogen itself may be a viable and cost-effective strategy for conventional and organic dairy cows. The objective of this study was to determine whether an intrauterine flushing with a hypertonic solution (50% dextrose in water) of lactating dairy cows diagnosed with CE result in comparable fertility to conventional therapy (parental ceftiofur) as opposed to non-treated CE animals (control group) and healthy cows (without CE).