ceftiofur and Placenta--Retained

Our objective was to assess the association of cow-related factors with metritis cure risk and economically important outcomes. In this prospective cohort study nested inside a randomized clinical trial, cows enrolled in a clinical trial that aimed to evaluate an alternative metritis therapy that had available plasma samples collected at metritis diagnosis were included. Metritis was defined as fetid, watery, reddish-brownish discharge with or without fever, and cure was defined as the absence of metritis signs 12 d after diagnosis. Cows were randomly allocated to remain untreated (CON; n = 147) or receive subcutaneous injections of 6.6 mg/kg of ceftiofur crystalline-free acid at enrollment and 72 h later (CEF, n = 168). Additionally, a random subset of 150 nonmetritic cows (NMET) was also included to compare milk production, reproductive performance, and culling responses. Cow-related factors evaluated include plasma concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids, β-hydroxybutyrate, and haptoglobin (Hp), parity, rectal temperature, and days in milk (DIM) at metritis diagnosis, vulvovaginal laceration (VL), BCS, dystocia, twins, and retained placenta. Among CON cows, DIM at metritis diagnosis was positively associated with metritis cure [threshold = 8, area under the curve (AUC) = 0.67], whereas plasma Hp concentration tended to be negatively associated with cure of metritis (threshold = 0.54 mg/mL, AUC = 0.64). Among CEF cows, DIM at metritis diagnosis (threshold = 5, AUC = 0.67) and dystocia were positively associated with metritis cure, whereas VL and Hp (threshold = 0.78 mg/mL, AUC = 0.76) were negatively associated with cure. For CON cows that were diagnosed with metritis after 8 DIM or had plasma Hp concentration ≤0.54 mg/mL, milk production, pregnancy, and culling risk were comparable to NMET cows. However, performance was impaired when cows that developed metritis at ≤8 DIM or had Hp >0.54 mg/mL were left untreated. Among CEF cows, Hp, DIM at metritis diagnosis, dystocia, and VL were associated with metritis cure. Milk yield, reproductive performance, and culling losses are more pronounced among CEF cows when metritis was diagnosed at ≤5 DIM, Hp >0.78 mg/mL, or if they had VL or dystocia. In conclusion, these data indicate that timing of the onset of metritis and inflammatory biomarkers could be used for the development of a selective therapy strategy for metritis, but more research is needed to identify more accurate predictors of metritis spontaneo

Topics: 3-Hydroxybutyric Acid; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Cephalosporins; Cohort Studies; Dystocia; Endometritis; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; Female; Haptoglobins; Milk; Parity; Placenta, Retained; Pregnancy; Prospective Studies; Reproduction

The objective of this study was to improve the reproductive efficiency of dairy cows with puerperal metritis (PM) subsequent to retained placenta (RP) using a two-step treatment strategy. A total of 188 postpartum cows, aged from 2 to 8 years, were utilised for 2 experiments. In Experiment 1, cows affected with RP/PM were randomly assigned to two treatment groups. Cows in Group A (n = 17) were treated with 600 mg of ceftiofur intramuscularly for 3 days followed by intrauterine lavage with 0.1% chlorhexidine and infusion with 0.5% povidoneiodine, while cows in Group B (n = 16) received two intrauterine infusions, first with 5 g of oxytetracycline and then with 0.5% povidone-iodine. Cows with normal postpartum findings were regarded as the healthy control group (n = 26). Ultrasonographic examination revealed that the ovarian activities including the appearance of a dominant follicle and days to first ovulation of the cows in Group A during the early postpartum period differed from those of Group B (P < 0.05), which coincided with the results of uterine swabbing for bacteriology. In Experiment 2, cows with normal postpartum findings were allocated to Group D (n = 78), which received an ovulation protocol (GnRH - 7 d PGF2α - 48 h hCG - 24 h AI) on day 50 ± 2 postpartum. Cows affected with PM were randomly divided into two groups, Group E (n = 25) combined the treatments applied in Groups A and D, while Group F (n = 26) repeated the treatment administered in Group E except for uterine lavage. The results indicated that the pregnancy rate within 150 days postpartum and the mean days open in Group E (76.0% and 106.3 ± 4.6 days, respectively) were significantly different from those in Group F (38.5% and 137.9 ± 10.9 days, respectively) (P < 0.05). This study suggests that reproductive efficiency could be improved by using the two-step treatment to regulate uterine involution and an early resumption of ovarian function in cows with RP/PM.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Cephalosporins; Endometritis; Female; Placenta, Retained; Pregnancy; Puerperal Infection; Reproduction

To determine the effect of intrauterine administration of ceftiofur sodium on fertility and the risk of culling in postparturient cows with retained fetal membranes (RFM), twins, or both.. Single-blind randomized clinical trial and prospective cohort study.. 2442 cows that calved from January 1, 2000, to May 31, 2001.. Cows with RFM, twins, or both were randomly allocated to control or treatment (ceftiofur) groups. Ceftiofur-group cows received 1 g of ceftiofur sodium sterile powder reconstituted with 20 mL of sterile water as a single intrauterine infusion once between 14 and 20 days after parturition. Control-group cows received no treatment. Cows that calved but did not have RFM or twins were considered the referent group. Reproductive, culling, and health data were recorded.. There was no significant difference in the overall proportion of ceftiofur-group cows confirmed pregnant, compared with cows in the control group. Ceftiofur-group cows were significantly less likely to be culled and were culled at a later time in lactation than control-group cows. In the cohort study, the risk of pregnancy and the risk of being culled in ceftiofur-group cows were not significantly different from cows in the referent group.. Intrauterine treatment of cows with RFM, twins, or both with ceftiofur sodium increased longevity of cows in the herd as measured by the risk of culling and the time to culling. Intrauterine administration of ceftiofur in cattle is considered extralabel drug use, and the attending veterinarian must follow the AMDUCA guidelines for extralabel drug use.

Topics: Administration, Intravaginal; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Cephalosporins; Cohort Studies; Female; Fertility; Placenta, Retained; Pregnancy; Prospective Studies; Reproduction; Risk Factors; Single-Blind Method; Twins

The aim of the study was to compare the effect of two acute puerperal metritis (APM) treatment protocols on uterine condition during the late puerperal period (5th to 7th week). Late gestation healthy cows (n = 21) were divided randomly in three equal groups. Parturitions were induced. Treatments of APM were started on the third day postpartum (PP). Group A was treated with an oxytocin analogue carbetocin for three days and intrauterine administration of cephapirin between days 15 and 17. Group B was given intramuscular injection of ceftiofur for five days followed by two injections of prostaglandin F2alpha, at an interval of 12 h, on the eighth day PP. Group C served as the control group with no treatment. Body temperature was recorded daily for 14 days PP. Uterine biopsies for bacteriology, and uterobrush samples for cytology, were taken once a week from the 5th to 7th week postpartum. No differences were found in body temperature on day 14 PP, presence of bacteriological infections and disappearance of uterine inflammatory signs diagnosed by cytological examination between experimental groups.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Body Temperature; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Cephalosporins; Cephapirin; Dinoprost; Female; Histocytochemistry; Oxytocin; Placenta, Retained; Pregnancy; Puerperal Infection; Random Allocation; Uterus

The objective of this study was to compare 2 strategies for the management of dairy cows having retained fetal membranes (RFM) with regard to clinical traits, milk yield, and reproductive performance. In contrast to recent studies evaluating optimal strategies for the management of cows with RFM, this trial was conducted on small dairy farms with 26 to 166 cows per herd. In the systemic (SYS) group (n = 116), cows having RFM and a rectal temperature > or = 39.5 degrees C were treated with 1 mg/kg of body weight of ceftiofur on 3 to 5 consecutive days. The RFM cows without fever remained untreated. In the intrauterine (IUT) group (n = 115), all RFM cows received an intrauterine treatment with 6 g of tetracycline on 3 consecutive days combined with an attempt to remove the fetal membranes manually. The IUT cows with a fever received an additional systemic treatment with 10 mg/kg of body weight of amoxicillin on 3 to 5 consecutive days. Body temperature, daily milk yield, prevalence of vaginal discharge 28 to 35 d in milk (DIM), and reproductive performance traits within 200 DIM were monitored. The proportion of cows experiencing fever within 5 d after enrollment was greater in SYS compared with IUT. The proportion of cows with mucopurulent or purulent vaginal discharge 28 to 34 DIM did not differ between the groups. Furthermore, no significant differences between groups were found in daily milk yield in the first 10 d after enrollment, or in reproductive performance or proportion of cows culled. Significant differences in the proportion of cows with a fever in SYS and IUT have not been reported in studies with similar study designs conducted on large dairy farms. Further results on milk yield and reproductive performance, however, support findings that a management strategy for RFM based on a selective systemic treatment of feverish cows is at least as efficacious as a strategy based on intrauterine treatments of all cows and a systemic antibiotic treatment of feverish cows.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Cephalosporins; Extraembryonic Membranes; Female; Fever; Germany; Lactation; Logistic Models; Placenta, Retained; Pregnancy; Uterus

In this field trial, a protocol for the treatment of retained fetal membranes (RFM) without any intrauterine therapy was compared with 3 protocols based on the intrauterine use of antibiotic pills (AP), the manual removal (MR) of the fetal membranes, or the combination of both (PR). The study was conducted on 5 commercial dairy farms in Germany. Cows with RFM for at least 24 h after calving were assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups. Cows of all groups with a rectal temperature >or= 39.5 degrees C received a systemic antibiotic treatment with ceftiofur (1 mg/kg per d) for 3 to 5 consecutive days. In case of continued fever after 5 treatments, cows received a different antibiotic as an escape therapy. In the reference group (REF; n = 131), cows did not receive any additional treatment. All cows in group AP (n = 119) received intrauterine treatment with antibiotic pills consisting of 1,000 mg of ampicillin and 1,000 mg of cloxacillin for 3 consecutive days. In group MR (n = 121), an attempt was made to remove the fetal membranes manually, but uterine pills were not administered. In group PR (n = 130), an attempt was made to remove the fetal membranes manually and all cows received a local antibiotic treatment as in group AP. All cows received 2 doses of 25 mg of PGF(2alpha): one dose between 18 and 24 d and another between 32 and 38 d postpartum. Statistical analyses were performed using binary logistic regression models and survival analyses with group REF as reference. Of all animals, 79.8% had a body temperature of >or= 39.5 degrees C at least once within 10 d postpartum and were treated with ceftiofur. Occurrence of fever within 10 d postpartum was significantly lower in groups AP and PR compared with reference group REF, but was not different between groups MR and REF. Risk of receiving an escape therapy in case of fever after 5 treatments with ceftiofur did not differ among groups. Reproductive performance measures did not differ significantly between group REF and any of the comparison groups. Compared with a treatment protocol based only on systemic treatment with antibiotics for cows with a fever, neither intrauterine antibiotics nor manual removal of fetal membranes alone or in combination reduced proportions of cows needing an escape therapy nor did those treatments improve reproductive measures in the current lactation. Systemic treatment alone based on elevated rectal temperature was effective and reduced use of antibiotics compared with therapie

Topics: Ampicillin; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Cephalosporins; Cloxacillin; Extraembryonic Membranes; Female; Fever; Logistic Models; Parity; Placenta, Retained; Pregnancy

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a blanket systemic preventive treatment (PT) of cows having retained fetal membranes (RFM) with 1 mg/kg of ceftiofur administered the first day after calving regardless of their body temperature. This strategy was compared with a selective treatment (ST) strategy in which only cows having RFM and a rectal temperature > or = 39.5 degrees C within 10 d postpartum received ceftiofur. Cows that retained their fetal membranes for at least 24 h after calving were allocated to 2 groups. Rectal temperature was measured daily for 10 d postpartum. Sixty PT cows having RFM received a daily ceftiofur (1 mg/kg of body weight) treatment, administered subcutaneously during the first 3 d after diagnosis of RFM. If rectal temperature was > or = 39.5 degrees C after 3 daily treatments, cows received ceftiofur for 2 more days. Therapy in 53 ST cows was based on selective administration of ceftiofur to cows having fever during the first 10 d postpartum. Treatment was conducted for 3 to 5 consecutive days as described for PT cows, beginning on the first day of fever. In both groups, manual removal of the placenta was not attempted and antibiotic drugs were not administered into the uterus. For every cow having RFM enrolled in PT or ST, 1 cow without RFM that had calved on the same day was enrolled in a healthy control group (n = 113). All cows received two 25-mg doses of PGF(2alpha): 1 dose between 18 and 24 d and 1 dose between 32 and 38 d postpartum. The PT did not reduce the proportion of cows experiencing fever during 10 d postpartum compared with ST cows (71.7 vs. 69.8%). Results were compared using logistic regression models and survival analyses. The artificial insemination submission rate between 42 and 62 d postpartum was greater in PT (41.2 vs. 20.8 vs. 24.5%), but total conception rate was less in ST and control cows, respectively (25.0 vs. 38.9 vs. 36.2%). In this trial, a preventive systemic antibiotic treatment of all cows having RFM was not superior to a selective antibiotic treatment of cows only in case of fever.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Body Temperature; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Cephalosporins; Dinoprost; Female; Fever; Insemination, Artificial; Logistic Models; Placenta, Retained; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Reproduction

The objective of the study was to determine concentrations of ceftiofur derivatives after subcutaneous application of ceftiofur hydrochloride in cows with retained fetal membranes. Concentrations of ceftiofur derivatives detected as desfuroylceftiofuracetamide were determined in blood serum, endometrium, caruncles, cotyledons, and lochia during 72 h. After induction of parturition, 2 primiparous and 4 multiparous cows having retained fetal membranes for at least 12 h were studied. All cows received 3 consecutive injections (C1 to C3; 24 h apart) of 1-mg ceftiofur equivalents per kilogram of body weight as ceftiofur hydrochloride sterile suspension. Samples of blood, endometrium, caruncles, cotyledons, and lochia were collected immediately before each injection (0 h) and again at 4, 12, and 24 h after C1, C2, and C3. Blood samples were collected from coccygeal vessels. Caruncles were removed from the uterine lumen by manual extirpation and separated from cotyledons. Endometrial tissue (0.5 g) was collected by using Kenny's biopsy apparatus. For all samples, concentrations of potentially active ceftiofur derivatives were quantified using an HPLC assay. Within 2 h (serum), 4 h (endometrium), and 12 h (caruncles, cotyledons, lochia) after C1 and during the entire study period, mean concentration of ceftiofur derivatives exceeded the reported minimum drug concentrations required to inhibit the growth of 90% of isolates for relevant bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and Arcanobacterium pyogenes. Only in single samples did concentrations decrease temporarily below the reported minimum drug concentrations required to inhibit the growth of 90% of isolates.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Body Temperature; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Cephalosporins; Endometrium; Extraembryonic Membranes; Female; Injections, Subcutaneous; Placenta; Placenta, Retained; Pregnancy; Serum; Time Factors

Two protocols for the treatment of retained fetal membranes in dairy cattle were evaluated in a field trial. Cows that retained the fetal membranes for more than 12h were assigned to two treatment groups in an alternating order. In both groups rectal temperature was measured daily for 10 days after enrollment. In Group 1 (n=35) cows with a rectal temperature >or=39.5 degrees C received a systemic antibiotic treatment with 600mg ceftiofur intramuscularly on three consecutive days. No manual removal of the fetal membranes or intrauterine treatment was conducted. In case of elevated temperature of >or=39.5 degrees C on Day 3 treatment was conducted for another 2 days. In Group 2 (n=35) cows received a local antibiotic treatment (2500 mg ampicillin, 2500 mg cloxacillin) and an attempt was made to remove the fetal membranes manually. In case of a rectal temperature >or=39.5 degrees C 6000 mg of ampicillin were administered intramuscularly. Treatment was repeated on three consecutive days. If temperature did not decrease below 39.5 degrees C systemic treatment was extended for another 2 days. During 10 days of observation 33 and 34 cows showed fever, i.e. a body temperature >or=39.5 degrees C in Groups 1 and 2, respectively (94.3 versus 97.1%). The proportion of cows considered as cured (temperature <39.5 degrees C on Day 10 after enrollment) was 65.7 and 68.6% in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. All cows showed signs of chronic inflammation of the genital tract on Day 14 after calving. Within 4 weeks postpartum three (8.6%) and four (11.4%) cows were culled in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Days to first service and days open did not differ significantly between the groups. Proportion of cows pregnant on Day 200 postpartum was 71.4 and 54.3% for Groups 1 and 2, respectively (P>0.05). Results indicate that treatment of retained fetal membranes without intrauterine manipulation and treatment can be as effective as conventional treatment including detachment and local antibiotic treatment.

Topics: Ampicillin; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Cephalosporins; Cloxacillin; Extraembryonic Membranes; Female; Injections, Intramuscular; Placenta, Retained; Pregnancy; Puerperal Disorders; Reproduction; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome

The objective of this study was to compare the effect of ceftiofur hydrochloride and estradiol cypionate (ECP) administration for metritis prevention and reproductive performance in dairy cows affected with retained fetal membranes (RFMs). After parturition, 97 dairy cows affected with RFM from a single dairy herd were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 treatment groups. Cows in-group 1 (n=31) were treated daily for 5 days with ceftiofur hydrochloride (2.2mg/kg, i.m.); cows in group 2 (n=33) were treated once with ECP (4 mg, i.m.); and cows in group 3 (n=33) were not treated. The proportion of cows with metritis, uterine involution patterns and the calving-to-conception interval were compared between groups. The proportion of cows that developed metritis was significantly different (P<0.05) in cows treated with ceftiofur hydrochloride (13%), compared with cows treated with ECP (42%) or cows that received no treatment (42%). Uterine involution patterns (i.e. median time to complete retraction of the uterus and mean diameter measure of cervix and uterine horns) were not significantly different between groups. Cows treated with ECP were 0.40 times as likely to conceive as control cows (P=0.05); median time to conception in cows treated with ECP (192 days) was longer, compared to control cows (124 days). We conclude that systemic administration of ceftioufur hydrochloride is beneficial for prevention of metritis, but its effect on reproductive performance was not significantly different to that of ECP or no treatment. In addition, administration of ECP did not have beneficial effects on metritis prevention and reproductive performance.

Topics: Animals; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Cephalosporins; Contraceptive Agents, Female; Endometritis; Estradiol; Female; Injections, Intramuscular; Placenta, Retained; Pregnancy; Puerperal Disorders; Random Allocation; Reproduction; Treatment Outcome