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Rapid leukocyte esterase detection of cytological endometritis in dairy cows
A Sajadi1, M Kafi2, H Sharifiyazdi2
1Graduated from School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
Insights
A modified leukocyte esterase (LE) test offers a faster, cow-side method for detecting bovine endometritis. This rapid LE test shows moderate agreement with cytology, potentially improving field diagnostics for dairy cows.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Animal Reproduction
Background:
- Bovine cytological endometritis diagnosis faces field limitations.
- Leukocyte esterase (LE) tape strips offer an alternative but are time-consuming for farm use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a simpler, faster LE test for improved field diagnosis of bovine cytological endometritis.
- Enhance the applicability of LE tape strips at the farm level.
Main Methods:
- A modified LE tape technique involved affixing urinary LE tape to a cytobrush rod head using hot glue.
- Endometrial samples were collected from slaughtered (n=74) and live (n=43) dairy cows.
Main Results:
- The modified LE test demonstrated 82% sensitivity and 73% specificity against cytology in slaughterhouse samples.
- Moderate agreement ( =0.51) was observed between the modified LE technique and endometrial cytology across all samples.
Conclusions:
- The rapid LE test is a potential cow-side alternative to endometrial cytology for bovine endometritis.
- Further evaluation of this rapid LE test is needed, focusing on conception rates in dairy cows.
Background:
Certain limitations are associated with all kinds of diagnostic techniques used for the identification of bovine cytological endometritis under field conditions. Leukocyte esterase (LE) tape of urinary test strips has been used to detect cytological endometritis with an acceptable level of agreement with endometrial cytology in lactating dairy cows; however, the sampling procedure of LE tape strips is still time-consuming and not advisable for use at the farm level.
Aims:
The present study was designed to provide a simpler and faster LE test to improve the field applicability of LE tape strips for the detection of bovine cytological endometritis.
Methods:
Endometrial samples were collected using cytobrush and modified LE tape techniques from slaughtered (n=74) and live dairy cows (n=43). The urinary strip's LE tape was affixed onto the cytobrush rod head using a hot glue adhesive. This modification created the possibility of rapid reading of the intensity of color change of LE tapes.
Results:
Considering the cytology as the reference method, the sensitivity and specificity of the LE method for slaughterhouse samples were 82% and 73%, respectively. The agreement between endometrial cytology and the modified LE technique, considering the combination of slaughterhouse and clinical samples, was found to be moderate (=0.51; P<0.0001) in the present study.
Conclusion:
A rapid leukocyte esterase test can be used as a cow side and potential alternative to endometrial cytology; however, the efficacy of this method should further be evaluated based on the conception rates in dairy cows.
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