Mastitis and fertility disorders in cows.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Reproduction
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Udder inflammation (mastitis) negatively affects cow reproductive efficiency, independent of milk yield or quality changes.
• Mastitis alters milk and blood constituents, with pathogenic changes and new compounds impacting reproductive organs.
• Fertility disorders in mastitic cows are linked to inflammatory mediators like cytokines (TNF-alpha), cortisol, prostaglandin F2-alpha, and reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of mastitis on cow reproductive efficiency.
• To explore the role of specific inflammatory mediators in mastitis-associated fertility issues.
• To evaluate the efficacy of supportive drug injections in improving fertility in mastitic cows.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of changes in milk and blood constituents during mastitis.
• Monitoring of key inflammatory mediators (cytokines, cortisol, prostaglandins, ROS).
• Clinical trials involving intramammary treatment combined with supportive drug injections (antioxidants, lysozyme dimer, flunixin meglumine).

Main Results:

• Mastitis causes significant alterations in milk and blood, affecting the reproductive system.
• Specific inflammatory mediators are identified as key factors in fertility disorders.
• Supportive drug injections, when administered with intramammary treatments, showed potential to increase fertility in mastitic cows.

Conclusions:

• Successful mastitis treatment and prevention are crucial for maintaining cow fertility.
• Supportive therapies may offer a viable strategy to improve reproductive outcomes in cows suffering from mastitis.
• Further research into supportive treatments could enhance prophylactic measures against fertility disorders in dairy herds.