Diagnosis of clinical cervicitis and vaginitis in dairy cows in relation to various postpartum uterine disorders

There is poor agreement between clinical findings and results of diagnostic tests in postpartum uterine diseases that may be explained at least in part by the presence of inflammation and infection at sites other than the endometrium. It was hypothesized that clinical cervicitis and vaginitis are components of reproductive tract inflammatory disorders in postpartum dairy cows. A total of 61 postpartum dairy cows were enrolled in a nested case-control design. Periparturient disease occurrence in weeks 1 (1w), 3 (3w), and 5 (5w) postpartum were recorded. Clinical cervicitis was diagnosed in 36.0, 40.1, and 31.1% of cows in 1w, 3w, and 5w postpartum, respectively. Approximately 64% of cows with clinical endometritis in 5w postpartum also had clinical cervicitis (p ≤ 0.05). Prevalence of clinical and cytological vaginitis was 0% in 5w postpartum. Average days open: 110 for healthy cows and 117 for cows with clinical cervicitis (p ≤ 0.001), 145 for cows with clinical cervicitis and clinical endometritis (p < 0.005), and 199 for cows with clinical cervicitis and cytological endometritis (p < 0.001). Contrary to vaginitis, high prevalence of clinical cervicitis and its association with clinical endometritis and longer average days open suggested a substantial role of the condition in postpartum uterine diseases.