STUDIES ON PHYSICO-BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ESTRUAL CERVICO-VAGINAL MUCUS WITH REFERENCE TO BODY CONDITION SCORE AND FERTILITY IN GIR COWS
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Date
2010
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AAU, Anand
Abstract
The present investigation was carried out during November 2009 to April 2010 on 50 Gir cows (10= normal cyclic, 20=repeat breeder and 20=induced estrus cows) from Livestock Research Station, AAU, Anand and Heifers Development Project of the Baroda District Co-operative Milk Producers' Union Ltd., Itola (Vadodara) as well as private farms of Anand district of Gujarat. Further all three groups were divided into two subgroups, conceived and non-conceived. The study included evaluation of physicobiochemical properties of estrual cervico-vaginal mucus (CVM) collected by standard procedure and their relationships with the body condition scores and fertility of cows. Among 10 normal cyclic cows, 70 and 30 per cent cows had clear and turbid mucus. Among 20 repeat breeding cows 20, 60 and 20 per cent cows had clear, turbid and dirty mucus, respectively and in induced estrus cows the figures were 50, 40 and 10 per cent. Overall, the frequency of clear, turbid and dirty colour mucus was 30, 24 and 4 per cent, respectively, in conceived cows and 12, 22 and 8 per cent in non-conceived cows. The conception rate was higher in normal cyclic cows (100 %) with clear cervical mucus compared to repeat breeder cows (50 %) and induced estrus cows (60 %). The dirty mucus was not observed in normal cyclic cows. Overall 75.00 and 41.67 per cent cows conceived with turbid mucus in induced estrus and repeat breeder groups, respectively. All the induced estrus cows with dirty mucus conceived, whereas none conceived in repeat breeder group with similar type of mucus. Out of 50 samples, 56 and 44 per cent were found to be thin and thick in consistency, respectively. The percentages of CVM samples with thin and thick consistency were 50-50 in repeat breeding, 55-45 in induced estrus cows and 70-30 in normal cyclic cows. Among normal cyclic cows, the frequency of the thin and thick mucus was 70 and 10 per cent, respectively, in conceived cows while only thick mucus (20 %) was observed in non-conceived cows. The frequency of thin and thick mucus for conceived and non-conceived repeat breeder cows was 20 and 15, and 30 and 35 per cent, respectively. The frequency of thin and thick mucus observed was equal for conceived induced estrus cows. The conception rate was higher in normal cyclic cows (100.00 %) with thin cervical mucus compared to repeat breeder cows (40.00 %) and induced estrus cows (63.64 %). The conception rate was higher with thick mucus (77.78 %) in induced estrus cows as compared to normal cyclic (33.33 %) and repeat breeder cows (30.00 %). The mean (±SE) pH of CVM in normal cyclic, repeat breeder and induced estrus cows was 7.17±0.04, 7.22±0.04 and 7.69±0.10, respectively. A higher mean pH of CVM was observed in non-conceived as compared to conceived cows of normal cyclic and repeat breeder groups, whereas in induced estrus group, pH of CVM was higher in conceived cows than non-conceived cows. Overall, non-significantly higher mean pH of cervico-vaginal mucus was observed in non-conceived (7.50±0.10) as compared to conceived cows (7.32±0.06). The mean (±SE) spinnbarkeit value of CVM in normal cyclic, repeat breeder and induced estrus cows was 14.40±0.30, 11.81±0.45 and 13.77±0.39 cm, respectively. Cows that conceived irrespective of normal or repeat breeder status had non-significantly higher spinnbarkeit values as compared to those that did not conceive whereas among induced estrus cows the spinnbarkeit value was higher in non-conceived as compared to conceived group. The atypical type of fern pattern was observed more in repeat breeders (55 %) and induced estrus cows (50 %) as compared to normal cyclic cows (20 %). A crystallization of cervico-vaginal mucus in induced estrus cows was typical and atypical in equal number (50 %). The degree of cervical mucus crystallization in the induced (CIDR) estrus group was lower than that in the normal estrus group. Among normal cyclic cows, 8 cows conceived with 70 and 10 per cent typical and atypical fern pattern, respectively. The frequency of typical and atypical fern pattern was 20 and 15 per cent in conceived and 20 and 45 per cent in non-conceived repeat breeder cows, whereas in the induced estrus cows the values were 30 and 40, and 20 and 10 per cent. The conception rate was higher in normal cyclic cows (87.50 %) with the typical fern pattern as compared to repeat breeder (44.44 %) and induced estrus cows (60.00 %) whereas, the higher conception rate was observed in induced estrus cows (80.00 %) with atypical fern pattern as compared to normal cyclic (50.00 %) and repeat breeder (27.27 %) cows. Nil type of fern pattern was not observed in any of the groups. A non-significantly higher mean total protein in CVM was recorded in pooled conceived as compared to non-conceived cows. A significantly (P<0.05) lower calcium was observed in cervico-vaginal mucus of normal cyclic cows (12.47±0.52 mg/dl) as compared to repeat breeder cows (15.44±0.62 mg/dl). The overall significantly (P<0.05) higher mean calcium (mg/dl) in CVM was observed in non-conceived (15.67±0.53) as compared to conceived cows (13.27±0.32). Contrary to calcium, significantly (P<0.01) lower mean inorganic phosphorus was observed in repeat breeders (1.26±0.14 mg/dl) as compared to normal cyclic (2.43±0.25 mg/dl) and induced estrus cows (2.29±0.25 mg/dl). Overall, significantly (P<0.05) higher mean value of inorganic phosphorus was observed in CVM of conceived (2.15±0.14 mg/dl) than the non-conceived cows (1.48±0.25 mg/dl). Non-significantly higher magnesium was observed in normal cyclic cows (4.34±.28 mg/dl) as compared to repeat breeder (4.25±0.17 mg/dl) and induced estrus cows (4.18±0.13 mg/dl). The mean magnesium in CVM of pooled conceived and nonconceived cows also did not differ significantly. Significantly higher mean values of sodium and potassium were recorded in CVM of conceived (181.01±4.85 and 32.42±0.81 mEq/L) as compared to non-conceived cows (130.61±7,66 and 25.17±0.94 mEq/L, respectively). The mean values of sodium and potassium were also higher in normal cyclic cows (169.69±7.73 and 31.91±0.91 mEq/L) and induced estrus cows (174.03±6.55 and 33.52±0.90 mEq/L) as compared to repeat breeders (140.75±10.35 and 24.27±0.68 mEq/L). Overall the means of copper, iron, zinc and manganese in cervico-vaginal mucus were found to be higher in pooled conceived cows as compared to non-conceived cows. A higher mean value of body condition score was observed in repeat breeders (3.27±0.07) as compared to induced estrus (3.00±0.07) and normal cyclic cows (2.90±0.08). Higher mean calcium was observed in CVM of repeat breeder cows that did not conceive than those conceived with 3.5 BCS. The mean sodium level was observed significantly higher in CVM of conceived as compared to non-conceived induced estrus cows with 2.5 BCS. Significantly (P<0.05) higher body condition score was observed in non-conceived (3.21 ±0.07) as compared to conceived cows (2.95±0.06). Thus the required number of Al/service per conception was more in cows with higher BCS. All the physical and certain biochemical properties of CVM were found to be independent of conceived and non-conceived status of normal cyclic, repeat breeder or induced estrus cows. However there were some positive associations of these traits with fertility rate.
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Veterinary Obstetrics and Gynaecology, A Study