MVSc

The present investigation “Non-antibiotic therapy for sub clinical endometritis in repeat breeding cattle” was conducted during the period from July 2006 to February 2007 in cross bred animals brought for artificial insemination. The material for the study consisted of repeat breeder cows and heifers maintained at University Livestock Farm, Mannuthy and those presented at Artificial insemination centre and Bull station attached to the Department of Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy. The incidence of repeat breeding, the occurrence of sub clinical endometritis and various aspects of oestrous cycle were studied. Repeat breeding animals with sub clinical endometritis were randomly selected and allotted to groups I to V comprising of 10, 12, 12, 10 and 10 animals respectively and following treatment regimes were undertaken. Group I animals were given 50 ml of one per cent lugol’s iodine intrauterine 24 h prior to insemination. Group II animals were given 50 ml of one per cent lugol’s iodine intrauterine 24 h after insemination. In group III, a synthetic PGF2 alpha analogue (CLOSTENOL) was given intramuscularly on eleventh day of oestrous cycle followed by timed inseminations at 72 and 96 h of injection. Group IV animals were subjected to prostaglandin injections at 11 days interval on the luteal phase of oestrous cycle followed by timed inseminations at 72 and 96 h of injection. Group V animals were artificially inseminated without any treatment, which formed the control group.

The over all incidence of repeat breeding was found to be 19.01 per cent, out of which 46.36 per cent showed sub clinical endometritis. The characteristics of oestrual cervical mucus and physical changes in the genital tract were examined in detail and found that almost all treatment groups followed similar pattern irrespective of induced and natural oestrum.
The intensity of oestrum after induction using prostaglandin analogue was found to be high in most of the repeat breeders with sub clinical endometritis. Time taken for induction of oestrus in animals belonging to group III and IV were 59.38 +2.81 h and 58.88 + 2.75 h respectively. The mean duration of oestrum after induction using PGF2 alpha analogue in group III and IV were 37.5 + 3.70 h and 38.63 + 3.65 h respectively.

The conception rates of animals in different experimental groups were 40, 50, 50, 40 and 20 per cent in groups I, II, III, IV and V respectively. The conception rate was highest, 50 per cent in groups II and III, in which animals were subjected to post AI lugol’s iodine and single regime prostaglandin therapy respectively. However, better conception rates could be obtained in all treatment groups when compared to control group in which the success rate was only 20 per cent. Hence it could be inferred that both lugol’s iodine and prostaglandin can be used effectively in the treatment of sub clinical endometritis in repeat breeders. However, treatment with lugol’s iodine is comparatively less expensive and it is easily available also, so can be recommended as the drug of choice for tackling cases of repeat breeding with sub clinical endometritis.