Bacterial contamination of the uterus at calving is ubiquitous. Almost all dairy cows are contaminated at calving; however, this does not automatically result in uterine infections in post-partum.
Many factors influence the establishment of metritis in the post-partum period, which may lead to fertility issues1. Particularly, calving implies significant physiological and metabolic changes in a short period of time. Consequently, the immune system is more susceptible; thus, the outcome of the contamination strongly depends on the cow’s immune system and response to infections, in addition to the pathogen strain.
A healthy cow has a strong, well-regulated immune response that can resolve bacterial contamination. If the cow has a delayed or lower immune response, she is likely to develop metritis later. Thus, how the cow responds to potential infections really makes the difference.
In addition to this, effective herd management2 is required. Moreover, the best way to control the disease consists in monitoring the cow and paying attention to any detectable sign of metritis3. The involvement of the veterinarian must be the routine.
Metritis is a common uterine disease in dairy cows and normally appears 10-14 days after calving. Metritis directly impact the productive and reproductive performance of the cow. It makes the cow globally sick; however, symptoms such as fever may or may not be present: concerning diagnosis, this may be relevant for therapy decisions.
Metritis does not relate only to difficulties at calving (dystocia, twins, retained placenta) and bacterial contamination during parturition. If in the transition period2 there is no attention to nutrition and feed intake/access, if the cow’s health status is not constantly checked, as if we do not monitor social and behavioral aspects, we basically create the opportunity for metritis to show up.
Moreover, immediately after calving the risk of hypocalcemia is high. Scientific research (Martinez et al., 2013)4 described this metabolic disease as one of the risk factors for metritis: calcium plays essential roles in immune cells and uterine muscle contractions; thus, the effective physiological response to bacterial attack could be compromised.
Concerning antibiotic treatments, interesting results were reported by Pinedo et al. (2015)5: only 3 out of 4 cows treated with a specific antibiotic recovered 7 to 9 days after administration. On the contrary, 55 to 62% of untreated cows autonomously recovered. Thus, as we are now fighting against AMR, more info is needed on how the cow may respond to antibiotics.
To reduce the occurrence of metritis in dairy cattle, and, thus, reduce antibiotic usage, good management practices, proper diagnosis and specific treatment are needed to reduce the impact of post-partum metritis on animal health and fertility.
To support the dairy farmer in dealing with minor uterine issues, OZOLEA designed a new no-withdrawal tool: OZOLEA-METR. The product finds application in late post-partum, or about 30 days after calving, when the uterine involution is almost complete, there are no clear symptoms of metritis, but abnormal non-severe vaginal discharge3 may be visible.
OZOLEA-METR is composed of a single ingredient: a pure food grade vegetable oil, bio-engineered with the exclusive OZOLEA technology, which modifies some of the oil’s fatty acid chains, thereby allowing the product, once in contact with the inner wall of the uterus, to improve late post-partum management and uterine tissue performance after insemination, thus boosting conception rates.
OZOLEA-METR supports tissue functionality by creating a film barrier in contact with the inner wall of the uterus: this physical barrier is able to temporary attenuate the causes of bacterial proliferation and metritis occurrence.
References
1 Improving fertility in repeat breeders.
https://www.ozolea.it/improving-fertility-in-repeat-breeders/
2 A comfortable pre-calving period for less stressed fresh cows.
https://www.ozolea.it/a-comfortable-pre-calving-period-for-less-stressed-fresh-cows/
3 The meaning of vaginal discharge in dairy cows.
https://www.ozolea.it/the-meaning-of-vaginal-discharge-in-dairy-cows/
4 N. Martinez, L. D. P. Sinedino, R. S. Bisinotto, E. S. Ribeiro, G. C. Gomes, F. S. Lima, L. F. Greco, C. A. Risco, K. N. Galvão, D. Taylor-Rodriguez, J. P. Driver, W. W. Thatcher, and J. E. P. Santos, 2013. Effect of induced subclinical hypocalcemia on physiological responses and neutrophil function in dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 97:874–887
https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(13)00865-5/fulltext
5 P. J. Pinedo, J. S. Velez, H. Bothe, D. Merchan, J. M. Piñeiro, C. A. Risco, 2015. Effect of intrauterine infusion of an organic-certified product on uterine health, survival, and fertility of dairy cows with toxic puerperal metritis. J. Dairy Sci. 98:3120–3132
http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.2014-8944
Understanding Metritis in Dairy Cows
https://afs.ca.uky.edu/content/understanding-metritis-dairy-cows
Cover Image: Ph. Amber Kipp. Image available here.
