Randomized clinical trial of ceftiofur hydrochloride treatment to prevent acute puerperal metritis in dairy cows having Escherichia coli in their uterus at day 1 postpartum

Abstract

Ceftiofur is a class 1 antibiotic (World Health Organization classification) and there is an increasing pressure from the veterinary and medical bodies to revisit its use for treating and preventing diseases in dairy cows such as acute puerperal metritis (APM). The presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the uterus of dairy cows at day 1 postpartum was shown to increase by 3 the risk of subsequently developing APM. Unfortunately, there are no data describing the efficacy of ceftiofur treatment to prevent APM in the subset of cows with E. coli in their uterus at day 1 postpartum. Therefore, the objective of the study was to quantify the efficacy of ceftiofur treatment in dairy cows with E. coli in their uterus at day 1 postpartum to prevent APM.