CLINICAL, CULTURAL, ENDOCRINE AND THERAPEUTIC EVALUATION OF POSTPARTUM METRITIS IN SURTI BUFFALOES

Abstract

This study was carried out on 40 postpartum metritic Surti buffaloes divided into five groups each of eight
animals. The study included use of four treatment lines and one control group, viz., Group I- Metronidazole (500
mg) I/U for 5 days; Group 11-Ciprofloxacin (1500 mg) and Tinidazole (1800 mg) I/U for 5 days; Group Ill- Ciprofloxacin
(1500 mg) and Tinidazole (1800 mg) I/U for5 days plus PGF20 25 mg i/m once on first day; Group IV-Ceftiofur(long
acting) @ 6.6 mg/kg body wt subcutaneously once and Group V (control)- Normal saline I/U for 5 days. The
response to these therapeutic regimes was evaluated by comparing the clinical, cultural and endocrine changes
before and after 5 days of treatment. The mean rectal temperature recorded after treatment was significantly
(P<0.01) lower than the pre-treatment value in all four treatment groups. No significant change was however
observed in control group. The mean values of plasma estradiol concentration were significantly (P<0.01) higher
and progesterone values lower (P<0.01) on day 6 post-treatment than the corresponding pre-treatment values in
all five groups. Microbial examination of uterine discharge revealed that 38 (95.00 %) animals were positive for
micro-organisms and 2 (5.00 %) were sterile. Of the 38 samples, 31 (81.58%) had single and 7 (18.42%) had
mixed bacterial isolates. Gram-ve bacilli were the predominant organisms (64.52 %) in metritic buffaloes. The
therapeutic response achieved by various drugs and combination of drugs assessed by clinical recovery rate of the
condition on 6th day post-treatment revealed that postpartum metritic buffaloes under groups I to V had a clinical
cure rate of 50.00, 62.50, 87.50, 100.00 and 00.00 per cent, respectively. Clinically, Ceftiofur (long acting) was
found to be the most effective drug followed by a combination of other antibiotics plus prostaglandin F20 and
antibiotics alone.