Efficacy of ozonized water for the management of endometritis in Jersey crossbred cows and factors influencing pregnancy
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Authors
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Aanchal
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Pankaj - Sood
CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural Univeristy, Palampur.
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Akshay Sharma
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Monika Bharadwaj
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Rajesh Chahota
Keywords:
Cows, Endometritis, Ozonized water, Pregnancy rateAbstract
Endometritis, a major reproductive disorder, adversely affects fertility and productivity in cows. Ozone has been explored as a potential non-antibiotic alternative against endometritis. This study evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of intrauterine ozonized water (O₃W) in Jersey crossbred endometritis cows and investigated factors influencing pregnancy outcome. A total of 60 consecutive spontaneous estrous cycles, (pre-treatment [C-1], treatment [C-2], and post-treatment [C-3] phases) were monitored in 20 endometritis cows. At C-1 estrus, endometritis was confirmed by the presence of ≥1% polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells in endometrial cytology. During C-2 estrus, cows received intrauterine O₃W treatment (3300µg; 55µg/mL; 60mL) for two consecutive days. At enrolment, general parameters including age, parity, milk yield, number of previous inseminations without conception, and body condition score were recorded. Comparative assessment between C-1 and C-3 included evaluation of cervical discharge, preovulatory follicle, corpus luteum, estrous cycle parameters, hormonal profile, oxidative stress status, and reproductive performance. Microbial growth was detected in 75% of cows, predominantly involving Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Following O₃W treatment, microbial burden significantly decreased, with 60% of cows exhibiting no detectable microbial growth. Improvements were observed in discharge quality, follicular size, estrus characteristics, progesterone profile, and oxidative stress markers. The first-service and overall (three inseminations from C-3) pregnancy rates were 50% and 70%, respectively. However, advanced age, a greater number of previous unsuccessful inseminations, higher PMN cell percentage, and smaller preovulatory follicle size at C-1 negatively influenced pregnancy outcomes. Overall, intrauterine O₃W appears to be an effective non-antibiotic therapeutic strategy against cattle endometritis.
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