The use of
proteolytic enzymes has been established in the non-
antibiotic treatment of
mastitis in dairy cattle. The objective of this study was to evaluate, if
enzymes are efficacious in the treatment of chronic
endometritis. In a controlled field trial, cows with
vaginal discharge 21-27 days in milk (DIM) were randomly assigned to two treatment groups.
Endometritis was classified into three categories, depending on the type of
vaginal discharge: clear mucus with flakes of
pus (E1), mucopurulent discharge or fluctuating contents in the uterus (E2), and purulent discharge (E3). In group
ENZYMES (n=191), cows received an intrauterine treatment with a
salve containing the
enzymes trypsin (16 mg),
chymotrypsin (16 mg), and
papain (8 mg). Cows in group
PGF (n=225) were treated with 0.5mg of
cloprostenol. Cows that did not show any clinical signs of chronic
endometritis were regarded as healthy control group (HC, n=699). In groups
ENZYMES and
PGF, all cows were re-examined 35-41 DIM. In group
ENZYMES, cows were re-treated with
enzymes if signs of
endometritis were found, while in group
PGF all cows received a second dose of
cloprostenol, regardless of their clinical findings. Cure rate after the first treatment, defined as the absence of
vaginal discharge at the re-examinations, was 59.7 and 68.0% in groups
ENZYMES and
PGF, respectively (P>0.05). Reproductive performance measures showed no significant differences between the two treatment groups. Service rate was significantly lower for
ENZYMES and
PGF, respectively, compared to HC. Conception rates to all services and percentages of cows pregnant by 250 DIM were significantly lower in group
ENZYMES compared to HC, while no further differences were found between
PGF and HC. In both treatment groups, cure rate and reproductive performance measures were better for cows categorized E1 or E2, than for cows categorized E3, respectively. Conception rate to all services for cows with
endometritis category E1 was higher in group
PGF than in group
ENZYMES (P<0.05). The results of this field trial suggest that
prostaglandin F(2alpha) is still the treatment of choice for chronic
endometritis in dairy cattle.