Posted: July 3, 2019

Tackling an area that causes millions of dollars in losses to the dairy industry Dr.’s Adrian Barragan, and Earnest Hovingh's recent publication on clinical metritis suggest there may be additional diagnostic methods to assess local inflammation of the uterus.

Dr. Earnest Hovingh (left) and Dr. Adrian Barragan (right)

Dr. Earnest Hovingh (left) and Dr. Adrian Barragan (right)

In a study that included 53 dairy cows from four Pennsylvania farms, Dr.'s Barragan and Hovingh evaluated the concentration of inflammatory biomarkers in the vaginal discharge to objectively assess the severity of clinical metritis. Their research indicated that cows with the more severe vaginal discharge scores (scores 4 and 5) had the greatest concentration of inflammatory biomarkers in the vaginal discharge and serum.

The results from this study suggest that there is a large local and systemic inflammatory response in cows with higher vaginal discharge severity scores, and anti-inflammatory therapy may be beneficial in treating this prevalent condition. In finding that cows with a higher vaginal discharge score had a higher level of inflammation, locally and systemically; veterinarians, and/or producers under veterinarian guidance, may be able to diagnose metritis through easier and more economic diagnostic methods, such as visual observation of vaginal discharge, and treat these cows accordingly, using a combination of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. These findings could potentially lead to an improvement in the welfare and performance of the affected cattle and decrease the economic losses in the dairy cattle industry.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002203021930520X