131 Relationship between subclinical endometritis diagnosis and spontaneous recovery in lactating cows
E. Frana Bisang A B , P. R. Marini A C and M. I. Vázquez D EA
B
C
D
E
The aim of this study was to evaluate the dependence between the time of subclinical endometritis (SE) diagnosis and spontaneous recovery in lactating cows. Postpartum gynecological examinations were performed on 512 multiparous Holstein cows from April to September 2022 at a dairy farm (latitude −32°50′02.2″S, longitude −61°41′38.4″W). After positive diagnosis with endometrial cytology of ≥5 polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN), 56 cows were evaluated considering two different times (M) for postpartum evaluation: M1 at 26.7 ± 1.0 days (n = 43) and M2 at 48.1 ± 3.5 days (n = 13). Each group received a second examination 15 days apart. After a second examination, cows were separated into three groups: cows with spontaneous recovery (SR), cows that maintained disease (SE), and cows that developed clinical endometritis (CE). The dependence between the status of uterine health (health or illness) and time of SE diagnosis (M1 and M2) was evaluated with a chi-square homogeneity test (P < 0.05) and t-Student (P < 0.05). The t-Student test was used for paired samples. The results showed that 65.1% (28/43) of cows experienced spontaneous recovery, 13.9% (6/43) maintained SE, and 20.9% (9/43) developed to CE at M1. On the other hand, at M2, the disease evolution showed 61.5% (8/13), 15.4% (2/13), and 23.1% (3/13) for SR, SE, and CE groups, respectively. No differences were found between the time of diagnosis and SE evolution. Otherwise, SR cows showed a significant and abrupt decrease of the % PMN at endometrial cytology during the 15 days of the postpartum examination period (12.1 ± 1.7 and 1.0 ± 0.2% PMN, respectively; P > 0.0001). In conclusion, our results indicated no dependence between spontaneous recovery and time of subclinical endometritis diagnosis in lactating cows. This study could generate new hypotheses about spontaneous recovery and the time at which some veterinarian practices are done, looking to improve uterine health in Holstein cows.
