Physico-Microbial Properties of Cervico-Vaginal Mucus and its Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern in Repeat Breeding Buffaloes

Abstract

Forty five cervico-vaginal mucus samples from repeat breeding buffaloes on examination revealed
clear thin watery, clear stringy and turbid consistency of mucus in 55.55, 33.33 and 11.11 % cases,
respectively; while as in IO normal cyclic animals, 70.00 and 30.00 % samples were clear stringy and clear
thin watery, respectively. Typical, atypical and nil fern pattern of oestrual mucus was observed in 33.33,
60.00 and 6.66 % samples of repeat breeders, and in 80, 20 and 0.00 % of normal cyclic buffaloes,
respectively. Maximum number of normal cyclic and repeat breeding buffaloes conceived when they had
clear stringy mucus (85.72 and 60.00 %), followed by those with clear thin watery mucus (33.33 and 20.00
%) and those with typical fern pattern (87 .50 and 46.66 %), but none with turbid mi.Jc us and nil fern
pattern. The spinnbarkeit value of mucus from repeat breeding and normal cyclic buffaloes was ide.ntical
(9.76 ± 0.56 and I 0.30 ± 0.93 cm), but those conceived had significantly higher (P <; 0.0 I) spinnbarkeit
value as compared to those that did not conceive (12.5 vs 8.2 cm). Of the total 37 mucus samples of
repeating buffaloes cultured,.35 (94.60 %) were positive for microorganisms; while from 10 normal breeding
buffaloes only 2 (20.00 %) yielded microorganisms. Out of 35 positive samples from repeating buffaloes,
31(88.57 %) had single (12 gram +ve, 19 gram -ve) and 4 (11.43 %) had mixed bacterial isolates. Single
isolates were more susceptible to the entire range of drugs tested, viz., ciprofloxacin (91.42 %), cephalexin
(85.71 %), gentamicin (85.71 %), ceftriaxone (82.86 %), ampicillin (82.86 %), enrofloxacin (80.00 %)
and oxytetracycline (77.14 %), while as ,mixed isolates showed highest resistance to these antibiotics. Cephalexin 4 gm and ceftriaxone 2 gm used as post-Al intrauterine infusion in 6 cases each was highly effective as 8 (66.66 %) animals cqnceived within 2 cycles.