Genomics & Informatics (Dec 2018)

An Advanced Understanding of Uterine Microbial Ecology Associated with Metritis in Dairy Cows

  • Soo Jin Jeon,
  • Klibs N. Galvão

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5808/GI.2018.16.4.e21
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 4

Abstract

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Metritis, the inflammation of the uterus caused by polymicrobial infections, is a prevalent and costly disease to the dairy industry as it decreases milk yield, survival, and the welfare of dairy cows. Although affected cows are treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics such as ceftiofur, endometrial and ovarian function are not fully recovered, which results in subfertility and infertility. According to culture-dependent studies, uterine pathogens include Escherichia coli, Trueperella pyogenes, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and Prevotella melaninogenica. Recent studies using high-throughput sequencing observed very low relative abundance of Escherichia coli, Trueperella pyogenes, and Prevotella melaninogenica in cows with metritis. Herein, we propose that metritis is associated with a dysbiosis of the uterine microbiota, which is characterized by high abundance of Bacteroides, Porphyromonas, and Fusobacterium.

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