Search Results (4)

Postpartum uterine diseases such as metritis and endometritis impair reproductive performance and cause substantial economic losses in dairy cows worldwide. The multifactorial etiology, involving polymicrobial infections and complex host immune responses, poses diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Traditional treatments rely on antibiotics, e.g., cephalosporins like ceftiofur and cephapirin, with broad-spectrum efficacy. However, emerging antimicrobial resistance, biofilm formation by pathogens such as Trueperella pyogenes, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and Escherichia coli, and bacterial virulence factors have reduced effectiveness of conventional therapies. Advances in systems biology, particularly proteomics, metabolomics, and microRNA (miRNA) profiling, have provided unprecedented insights into the molecular mechanisms underpinning uterine disease pathophysiology. Proteomic analyses reveal dynamic changes in inflammatory proteins and immune pathways, whereas metabolomics highlight shifts in energy metabolism and bacterial–host interactions. Furthermore, miRNAs have critical roles in post-transcriptional gene regulation affecting immune modulation, inflammation, and tissue repair, and also in modulating neutrophil function and inflammatory signaling. Uterine inflammation not only disrupts local tissue homeostasis but also compromises early embryo development by altering endometrial receptivity, cytokine milieu, and oocyte quality. Integration of multi-omics approaches, combined with improved diagnostics and adjunct therapies—including micronutrient supplementation and immunomodulators—offers promising avenues for enhancing disease management and fertility in dairy herds. This review synthesizes current knowledge on proteomics, metabolomics, and miRNAs in postpartum uterine diseases and highlights future directions for research and clinical applications. Full article

A Lactococcus (L.) lactis strain producing antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory biomolecules (mainly 1,4-Diaza-2,5-dioxobicyclo[4.3.0]nonanes and pyrazine-derivatives) was tested for its capacity to cure clinical endometritis in buffaloes compared to conventional antibiotic-based treatment. Clinical endometritis-diagnosed buffaloes (n = 16/group) were infused intrauterine with four doses of 10⁹ CFU-free (FLC group) or nanoencapsulated L. lactis (NLC group) and compared to those that received three doses of saline + a single dose of 500 mg cephapirin benzathin (AB group) or four doses of saline (control, C group) every other day. Endometrium samples were analyzed for cytological (polymorphonuclear cells, PMN), bacteriological, and proinflammatory mRNA expression. Uterine wash and blood samples were collected to determine proinflammatory cytokine concentrations and metabolites in the blood samples. The reproductive performance of buffaloes was assessed. Compared to the C group, the AB and NLC groups had the lowest percentage of PMN, followed by those in the FLC group (p < 0.05). All treated buffaloes had significantly lower numbers of pathogens than the control buffaloes. Compared to control, all treatments significantly down-regulated endometrial proinflammatory encoding mRNA expression. The concentrations of IL1B, TNFAIP7, and leukocyte esterase activity in the uterine washings were significantly decreased in the AB and NLC groups compared to the C and FLC groups. All treatments significantly decreased concentrations of serum proinflammatory cytokines compared to control. Both the AB and NLC groups had significantly lower concentrations of serum NEFA than the C and FLC groups. The percentage of control buffaloes having an echogenic uterus and PVD score > 2 was significantly higher than those in the treated buffaloes with higher numbers of corpora lutea, higher conception rates, and shorter days open than control buffaloes (p < 0.05). In conclusion, L. lactis-producing antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory metabolites reduce uterine inflammatory responses and improve fertility in buffaloes. Full article

Cross contamination of β-lactams is one of the highest risks for patients using pharmaceutical products. Penicillin and some non-penicillin β-lactams may cause potentially life-threatening allergic reactions. The trace detection of β-lactam antibiotics in cleaning rinse solutions of common reactors and manufacturing aids in pharmaceutical facilities is very crucial. Therefore, the common facilities adopt sophisticated cleaning procedures and develop analytical methods to assess traces of these compounds in rinsed solutions. For this, a highly sensitive and reproducible ultra-performance liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the analysis of Cephapirin and Ceftiofur. As per the FDA guidelines described in FDA-2011-D-0104, the contamination of these β-lactam antibiotics must be regulated. The analysis was performed on an XBridge C₁₈ column with 100 mm length, 4.6 mm diameter, and 3.5 µm particle size at an oven temperature of about 40 °C. The mobile phase was composed of 0.15% formic acid in water and acetonitrile as mobile phases A and B, and a flow rate was set to 0.6 mL/min. The method was validated for Cephapirin and Ceftiofur. The quantification precision and accuracy were determined to be the lowest limit of detection 0.15 parts per billion (ppb) and the lowest limit of quantification 0.4 ppb. This method was linear in the range of 0.4 to 1.5 ppb with the determination of coefficient (R² > 0.99). This sensitive and fast method was fit-for-purpose for detecting and quantifying trace amounts of β-lactam contamination, monitoring cross contamination in facility surface cleaning, and determining the acceptable level of limits for regulatory purposes. Full article

The present research study investigated the susceptibility of common mastitis pathogens—obtained from clinical mastitis cases on 58 Northern German dairy farms—to routinely used antimicrobials. The broth microdilution method was used for detecting the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of Streptococcus agalactiae (n = 51), Streptococcus dysgalactiae (n = 54), Streptococcus uberis (n = 50), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 85), non-aureus staphylococci (n = 88), Escherichia coli (n = 54) and Klebsiella species (n = 52). Streptococci and staphylococci were tested against cefquinome, cefoperazone, cephapirin, penicillin, oxacillin, cloxacillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and cefalexin/kanamycin. Besides cefquinome and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, Gram-negative pathogens were examined for their susceptibility to marbofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. The examined S. dysgalactiae isolates exhibited the comparatively lowest MICs. S. uberis and S. agalactiae were inhibited at higher amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and cephapirin concentration levels, whereas S. uberis isolates additionally exhibited elevated cefquinome MICs. Most Gram-positive mastitis pathogens were inhibited at higher cloxacillin than oxacillin concentrations. The MICs of Gram-negative pathogens were higher than previously reported, whereby 7.4%, 5.6% and 11.1% of E. coli isolates had MICs above the highest concentrations tested for cefquinome, marbofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, respectively. Individual isolates showed MICs at comparatively higher concentrations, leading to the hypothesis that a certain amount of mastitis pathogens on German dairy farms might be resistant to frequently used antimicrobials. Full article