Prevalence and Drug Susceptibility of Mycotic Endometritis in Sahiwal Cattle in District Faisalabad, Pakistan

Abstract

Mycotic infections of reproductive tract did not receive much attention in the past. Fungi cause reproductive problems by invading or colonizing the reproductive tract, which adversely affects the reproductive efficiency in cattle. Current study was designed to find out the prevalence of fungal pathogens from uterine samples of Sahiwal cattle and to perform antifungal susceptibility testing on the isolated fungal pathogens. For this purpose, 144 uterine samples were collected and cultured on Sabouraud’s dextrose agar at 25oC for two weeks. Fungi were identified based on the microscopic characteristics. The results showed that out of 144 samples, 4 were found positive, showing an overall prevalence of mycotic endometritis in Sahiwal cattle as 2.8% in Faisalabad. Penicillium and Aspergillus species were the isolated fungal pathogens. The prevalence of mycotic endometritis was significantly higher in cattle having the history of reproductive problems (P<0.05). However, the association between mycotic endometritis, and managemental conditions, parity, herd size, body condition score, and the breeding method was statistically non-significant. The mean endometrial thickness in Sahiwal cattle suffering from mycotic endometritis was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the value for non-endometritis cattle. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Itraconazole (Rolac®) was 4.12 mg/ml against Aspergillus spp. and 8.6mg/ml against Penicillium spp. However, both Aspergillus and Penicillium spp. were resistant to Fluconazole (Fungone®). It is recommended that further studies should be undertaken to investigate the role and economic impact of fungal pathogens in the etiology of reproductive disorders that fail to respond to antibiotic treatment