Endometrial cytology, biopsy, and bacteriology for the diagnosis of subclinical endometritis in grazing dairy cows

Endometritis is one of uterine disorders in dairy cows causing low fertility. This study explored effects of intrauterine (IU) infusion of Cefazolin on endometrial cytology and reagent test strips parameters (leukocyte esterase [LE] and pH) in bovine subclinical endometritis. A total of 90 cows at 49-56 days in milk (DIM) diagnosed for subclinical endometritis were divided randomlyinto three groups, group I (n = 35), treated with IU infusion of 2 grams Cefazolin (Zinol ®, Pharco) diluted with 50 ml saline; group II (n = 28), treated with IU infusion of 2 gramsCephalexin (Ceporex®, GlaxoSmithKline) diluted with 50 ml saline; group III (n = 27), cows kept as untreated control. Cytological examination and reagent test strips were performed in uterine material derived with the cotton swab technique before treatment program and repeated two times later, in 10 days interval. The cows were artificially inseminated at first oestrous after the end of treatment program and conception rates were evaluated. After the end of treatment program, polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) decreased significantly (P <0.05) in Cefazolin and Cephalexin groups (3.23% and 4.39% respectively) compared tocontrol (24.89%) group, also means of LE in these groups became significantly (P<0.05) lower. The Ph value decreased after treatment, this reduction was significant after the first dose of Cefazolin, while in Cephalexin reduction of pH became significant after second dose. Cefazolin had conception rate (77.14%) significantly (P<0.05) higher than cephalexin and control groups (57.14% and 25.93% respectively). Cefazolin and Cephalexin decrease uterine PMN, LE concentration. The pH value after treatment by Cefazolin was lower than in Cephalexin. Moreover, treatment with Cefazolin resulted in a significantly higher conception rate. Thus, Cefazolin is recommended for the treatment of subclinical endometritis in dairy cows.

Download Full-text

Identification of Genomic Regions Associated with Concentrations of Milk Fat, Protein, Urea and Efficiency of Crude Protein Utilization in Grazing Dairy Cows

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes12030456 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 456

Author(s):

Hewa Bahithige Pavithra Chathurangi Ariyarathne ◽

Martin Correa-Luna ◽

Hugh Thomas Blair ◽

Dorian John Garrick ◽

Nicolas Lopez-Villalobos

Keyword(s):

Gene Ontology ◽

New Zealand ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Candidate Genes ◽

Milk Fat ◽

Crude Protein ◽

Single Locus ◽

Protein Utilization ◽

Grazing Dairy Cows ◽

Genomic Regions

The objective of this study was to identify genomic regions associated with milk fat percentage (FP), crude protein percentage (CPP), urea concentration (MU) and efficiency of crude protein utilization (ECPU: ratio between crude protein yield in milk and dietary crude protein intake) using grazing, mixed-breed, dairy cows in New Zealand. Phenotypes from 634 Holstein Friesian, Jersey or crossbred cows were obtained from two herds at Massey University. A subset of 490 of these cows was genotyped using Bovine Illumina 50K SNP-chips. Two genome-wise association approaches were used, a single-locus model fitted to data from 490 cows and a single-step Bayes C model fitted to data from all 634 cows. The single-locus analysis was performed with the Efficient Mixed-Model Association eXpedited model as implemented in the SVS package. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with genome-wide association p-values ≤ 1.11 × 10−6 were considered as putative quantitative trait loci (QTL). The Bayes C analysis was performed with the JWAS package and 1-Mb genomic windows containing SNPs that explained > 0.37% of the genetic variance were considered as putative QTL. Candidate genes within 100 kb from the identified SNPs in single-locus GWAS or the 1-Mb windows were identified using gene ontology, as implemented in the Ensembl Genome Browser. The genes detected in association with FP (MGST1, DGAT1, CEBPD, SLC52A2, GPAT4, and ACOX3) and CPP (DGAT1, CSN1S1, GOSR2, HERC6, and IGF1R) were identified as candidates. Gene ontology revealed six novel candidate genes (GMDS, E2F7, SIAH1, SLC24A4, LGMN, and ASS1) significantly associated with MU whose functions were in protein catabolism, urea cycle, ion transportation and N excretion. One novel candidate gene was identified in association with ECPU (MAP3K1) that is involved in post-transcriptional modification of proteins. The findings should be validated using a larger population of New Zealand grazing dairy cows.

Download Full-text

Supplementation of grazing dairy cows with a brewers grains/treated straw mixture

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) ◽

10.1017/s0308229600018274 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 1990 ◽

pp. 46-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J.D. Leaver ◽

R.C. Campling

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Crude Protein ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Barley Straw ◽

Severe Drought ◽

Grass Silage ◽

Metabolisable Energy ◽

Grazing Dairy Cows ◽

Similar Cost ◽

Friesian Cows

Supplementary feeding of grazing dairy cows is often uneconomic, and whilst supplementation with silage (buffer feeding) can be worthwhile, this often leads to a depletion of winter forage stores. In this study, a mixture of brewers grains and treated straw was used as a supplement. Offered as a 1:1 mixture in the dry matter (DM), it is a purchased substitute for grass silage, having a similar cost, and similar metabolisable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) contents. The high seasonality adjustments to milk price in mid-late season make supplementation potentially worthwhile.Experiments were carried out from April to September in 1988 and 1989, which had moderate and very low rainfall respectively. Each year 20 British Friesian cows which calved December to March (1988 experiment) and February-April (1989) were allocated at random to either treatment B or C. In B, the cows were offered a 1:1 mixture (DM basis) of brewers grains and NaOH treated chopped barley straw for 60 minutes after morning milking. In C, the cows received no supplement. Both groups were fed 1.0 kg/day of concentrates in the milking parlour. Due to the severe drought in 1989, concentrate feeding was increased to 5.0 kg/day for all cows during the last 4 weeks of the experiment. Also, urea-treated whole crop wheat was fed at a level of 2.5 kg DM/day during the last 7 days.

Download Full-text