Dynamics of the content of immunoglobulins in the blood serum and vaginal secretion of cows with genital mycoplasmosis during treatment with tulathromycin

Abstract

An important task of industrial animal husbandry is to maintain the reproductive health of female animals. Indolent diseases of the reproductive system remain a big problem. Little information is available on the immunopathogenesis of genital mycoplasmosis. Antibiotic treatment with drugs from tetracycline, macrolide or fluoroquinolone groups is the main approach to treatment of mycoplasmosis. The aim of the present work was to study the dynamics of immunoglobulin contents in blood serum and vaginal secretions of cows with genital mycoplasmosis during therapy with tulathromycin, a semi-synthetic macrolide antibiotic drug. We studied two groups of cows at their interlactation period (n = 8), aged 3-4 years. Control group consisted of clinically healthy cows. The cows from experimental group had confirmed genital mycoplasmosis. They were treated with Traxovet 100 antibiotic (tulathromycin) at a dose of 2.5 mg per 1 kg of animal body weight, by subcutaneous route, 40 days before the expected delivery. Blood serum and vaginal secretions were collected in both groups of animals. The contents of IgG, IgM, IgA immunoglobulins, and sIgA in the vaginal secretion were determined by radial immunodiffusion (Mancini technique). On the 14th day of the experiment, a significant increase in the IgG contents and decreased levels of IgM and IgA were observed in the blood of the cows from experimental group. However, these indexes still remained lower than in healthy cows. In vaginal secretions, a significant decrease in the IgM and sIgA amounts was detected. The immunoglobulin levels in vaginal secretions after antibiotic therapy did not differ from the healthy cows. The use of tulathromycin for treatment of genital mycoplasmosis in pregnant cows shows high therapeutic efficacy, but does not lead to a complete normalization of their immunoglobulin status.