The prophylaxis of puerperal infections of cows’ genitals by Lactobacillus SPP

Many bacterial species are currently known as etiologic agents of dairy cattle metritis. Antimicrobials for endometritis treatment are infused into the uterus, and these therapies are aimed to achieve high concentrations of antibiotics in the site of infection. The aim of this work was to verify the possibility of using a non-antibiotic active substance to prevent the emergence of postpartum infections in cows. The study was realised in 12 herds of Holstein, Simental and Pinzgau cattle (4,563 animals), where the incidence of postpartum reproductive disorders was higher than 20%. After parturition, animals (4,563) were divided into four groups: (I) 1,967 primipara cows treated, (II) 2,596 pluripara cows treated, (III) 638 primipara cows untreated and (IV) 667 pluripara cows untreated. Animals were treated 24 hours after parturition with 100 ml Lactobacillus spp. (LBC), lyophilised preparation (1 ml contained 1.0 ×109 microorganisms). Lyophilisate was diluted just before the application with a sterile solvent with pH 4.4–4.7. The most prevalent pathogens were E. coli (74.7%) and Trueperella pyogenes (17.3%). E. coli caused up to 88.2% of genital inflammation – mostly endometritis. The positive effect of the preventive application of preparation based on LBC significantly eliminated the occurrence of bacterial microflora after the parturition on the 14th and 20th day of the puerperium, respectively. The preventive application was manifested to a demonstrable extent also in the subsequent reproductive parameters of cows. The preparation appeared to be more effective in primipara, especially concerning the incidence of inflammatory conditions of the genitals (P <0.01).