Impact of Subclinical Endometritis on Some Fertility Traits of Dairy Cows

Abstract

The aim of this of this retrospective study was to determine that most suitable Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) threshold for diagnosis of subclinical endometritis (SE), the causes of this disorder and its effect on subsequent reproductive parameters of Holstein Friesian cows. Uterine cytology was executed on 140 Holstein cows at 28-30 days postpartum (pp) to calculate the PMN cells. A threshold of 16% PMNs above which some of the reproductive parameters were significantly affected was used. The retained fetal membranes (Odds ratio; OR = 3.02) and metritis (OR = 4.92) were the causes for SE. subclinical endometritis and metabolic disorders (milk fever and ketosis) affected the resumption of pp cyclicity at 28-30 days in milk. Cows with SE were less likely to conceive after their artificial insemination (OR = 0.44 p<0.05) than cows without S.E., and needed more artificial inseminations to conceive (2.4 vs. 2.1.). A PMN threshold of 16% was good enough to detect SE at 28-30 days pp. the RFMs and metritis were causal factors for SE.