Intravaginal prostaglandin F2α for the treatment of metritis and pyometra in the bitch

The purpose of this study was to determine whether intravaginal prostaglandin F2α(PGF2α) would be effective for the treatment of metritis or pyometra in the bitch. Seventeen bitches with metritis or pyometra were treated with PGF2α. Prostaglandin F2α(150 (g/kg body weight) was administered once or twice daily by infusing 0.3 ml per 10 kg body wt into the vaginal lumen. Bitches were also treated with amoxicillin (15 mg/kg body wt/48 h) and/or gentamicin (4 mg/kg body wt/day) administered as intramuscular (i.m.) injections. Fifteen bitches were treated successfully with intravaginally administered PGF2αfor 3 to 12 days and with intramuscularly administered antibiotics for 4 to 12 days. Success of treatment was judged by cessation of vaginal discharge, the absence of fluid in the uterus as determined by ultrasonography, and the overall health status of the animal. As two bitches with pyometra showed clinical deterioration in spite of medical treatment, ovariohysterectomy was performed after the first and the second treatment, respectively. No side effects (salivation, vomiting, diarrhoea, hyperpnoea, ataxia, urination, anxiety, pupillary dilatation followed by contraction) were observed after PGF2αtreatment. The disease did not recur during the subsequent oestrous cycles within 12 months after the initial treatment. The results demonstrate that intravaginal administration of PGF2αwas effective in 13 dogs (86.6%) with metritis or pyometra, and caused no side effects. Although the study was based on a relatively small number of cases, it is concluded that prostaglandin F2αcan be a useful means of treating bitches with metritis or pyometra. However, in severe cases of pyometra ovariohysterectomy is needed

In vitro sensitivity of Hungarian Actinobaculum suis strains to selected antimicrobials

In vitro antimicrobial sensitivity of 12 Hungarian isolates and the type strain ATCC 33144 of Actinobaculum suis to different antimicrobial compounds was determined both by the agar dilution and by the disc diffusion method. By agar dilution, MIC50 values in the range of 0.05-3.125µg/ml were determined for penicillin, ampicillin, ceftiofur, doxycycline, tylosin, pleuromutilins, chloramphenicol, florfenicol, enrofloxacin and lincomycin. The MIC50 value of oxytetracycline and spectinomycin was 6.25 and 12.5µg/ml, respectively. For ofloxacin, flumequine, neomycin, streptomycin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin and sulphamethoxazole + trimethoprim MIC50 values were in the range of 25-100µg/ml. With the disc diffusion method, all strains were sensitive to penicillin, cephalosporins examined, chloramphenicol and florfenicol, tetracyclines examined, pleuromutilins, lincomycin and tylosin. Variable sensitivity was observed for fluoroquinolones (flumequine, enrofloxacin, ofloxacin), most of the strains were susceptible to marbofloxacin. Almost all strains were resistant to aminoglycosides but most of them were sensitive to spectinomycin. A strong correlation was determined for disc diffusion and MIC results (Spearman's rho 0.789, p<0001). MIC values of the type strain and MIC50 values of other tested strains did not differ significantly. Few strains showed a partially distinct resistance pattern for erythromycin, lincomycin and ampicillin in both methods

Decreasing of S100A4 in bovine endometritis in vivo and in vitro

Endometritis is a prevalent reproductive disease in dairy cows, and is a superficial inflammation of the endometrium. S100 calcium-binding protein A4 (S100A4) is suggested to be implicated in the progression of inflammation. However, to our knowledge, no study has reported the changes of S100A4 during bovine endometritis. The objective of this study was to investigate S100A4 gene expression and protein levels in the uterus with endometritis in dairy cows. Vaginal mucus samples were collected for diagnosis of the severity degree of endometritis and the detection of S100A4 protein content. Blood samples and endometrial biopsies were collected and divided into the control (CN), mild endometrtis (M), and severe endometritis (S) groups according to the characteristics of the vaginal mucus type. The isolated bovine endometrial epithelial cells (BEECs) were challenged with E. coli (2 × 106 CFU/mL, 2 × 107 CFU/mL) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 3 and 10 μg/mL) as an inflammatory model. RT-qPCR was used to detect the gene expression levels of S100A4 and cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), in tissues or cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for S100A4 protein level detection in tissues, cells, cell supernatant, vaginal mucus, and serum samples. The results showed that S100A4 gene and protein levels decreased in bovine endometrium with endometritis and in E. coli- or LPS-stimulated BEECs. We failed to detect S100A4 in the cell supernatant, vaginal mucus, and serum samples. This study suggested that S100A4 is a pathogenesis-related protein of endometritis, and decreased expression of S100A4 may pave the way for the development of endometritis in dairy cows