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Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of the study described here was to evaluate the effects of different supportive treatments - such as antioxidants, immunomodulators, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - in mastitic cows treated with intramammary antibiotics on the efficacy of mastitis therapy and fertility indices. Fertility indices, including time to first insemination, conception rate, time between calving and conception (open days), and number of services per conception (insemination index), were evaluated for 300 dairy cows. Sixty cows without apparent clinical signs of mastitis were assigned 100 days after calving to a Control group. Another 240 cows with clinical mastitis were systematically divided into four experimental groups (I–IV) of 60 cows each. All mastitic cows were treated with approved intramammary antibiotics in recommended doses. Cows in Group I were treated with intramammary antibiotics only. Cows in Groups II, III, and IV, received intramammary antibiotic therapy and a single injection with antioxidants, an immunomodulator (lysozyme dimer), or an NSAID (flunixin meglumine), respectively.ResultsThe lowest treatment efficacy of mastitic quarters and cows was noted in Group I (51.6 and 53.3%; p > 0.05). The best recovery rate was noted in Group II (63.3 and 66.7%; p > 0.05), followed by Group III (58.3 and 60.9%) and Group IV (58.3 and 58.0%; p > 0.05). The above data did not differ statistically (p > 0.05). The animals with mastitis (Groups I–IV) showed prolonged time to first insemination, more open days, higher insemination index, and lower conception rate than the control cows (p < 0.05). The conception rate of healthy cows and of successfully treated cows was insignificantly lower than that of cows required prolonged antibiotic therapy. Supportive treatments improved the mastitis recovery rate compared with intramammary antibiotics only. The efficacy of mastitis treatments affected the reproduction indices: in cows requiring prolonged treatment with antioxidants, a shorter time to first insemination was needed than in other groups (p < 0.05). Fewer days open were observed between the group with antioxidants and the control group (p < 0.05).ConclusionsClinical mastitis negatively affects reproductive indices (days open, pregnancy rate after first AI, NSC) in dairy cows. Different types of supportive medicine, such as antioxidants (vitamin C and E, and β-carotene), lysozyme dimer, or NSAID can be useful in improving fertility in mastitis cows treated with antibiotic only. It has been proven that each supportive treatment improved antibiotics efficiency and the antibiotic combined with the antioxidants was the most effective treatment.
Highlights
The purpose of the study described here was to evaluate the effects of different supportive treatments - such as antioxidants, immunomodulators, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - in mastitic cows treated with intramammary antibiotics on the efficacy of mastitis therapy and fertility indices
Decreased fertility may be caused by management failures, indigestion, and metabolic disorders, which result from poor quality dietary components or negative energy balance, as well as from genetic selection focused mainly on milk yield [8]
A total of 238 cows were diagnosed with clinical mastitis, with 283 quarters affected
Summary
The purpose of the study described here was to evaluate the effects of different supportive treatments - such as antioxidants, immunomodulators, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - in mastitic cows treated with intramammary antibiotics on the efficacy of mastitis therapy and fertility indices. Sixty cows without apparent clinical signs of mastitis were assigned 100 days after calving to a Control group. Decreased fertility may be caused by management failures, indigestion, and metabolic disorders, which result from poor quality dietary components or negative energy balance, as well as from genetic selection focused mainly on milk yield [8]. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) released during mastitis development negatively affect reproductive systems, being responsible for decreased progesterone production and induced apoptosis of corpus luteum (CL) cells, resulting in adverse effects on oocytes [11, 12]. Proinflammatory cytokines are released during inflammation, which stimulates the production of ROS and activates phospholipase A2, leading to luteolysis [14]
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