Serological and Uterine Biomarkers for Detecting Endometritis in Mares.
Authors: Cecchini Gualandi Stefano, Di Palma Tommaso, Boni Raffaele
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Serological and Uterine Biomarkers for Detecting Endometritis in Mares Endometritis remains a significant cause of subfertility in mares, yet reliable diagnostic markers at breeding time could improve treatment decisions and outcomes. Researchers collected blood and uterine samples (swabs and lavage fluid) from mares at oestrus prior to artificial insemination with cooled semen, performing bacterial culture, cytological examination using conventional and fluorescence microscopy, and measuring multiple biochemical parameters including antioxidant capacity (FRAP), thiol levels, nitric oxide metabolites, protease activity, and total protein in both serum and uterine fluid. Serologically, mares with cytological evidence of endometritis showed significantly reduced ferric reducing ability of plasma, whilst uterine fluid from affected mares demonstrated altered thiol levels, nitric oxide metabolites, protease activity, and protein content compared to unaffected controls. Despite identifying these measurable biochemical differences—with cytological examination proving most discriminatory—pregnancy rates did not differ significantly between mares diagnosed as endometritis-positive or -negative, or between culture-positive and -negative groups. These findings suggest that whilst biomarker panels may detect inflammatory changes associated with endometritis, the clinical significance of these subclinical findings warrants reconsideration of current diagnostic thresholds and treatment protocols in breeding programmes.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Serological and uterine fluid biomarkers (particularly FRAP, thiol levels, NOx, and protease activity) may improve endometritis detection, though cytology appears more discriminatory than culture alone
- •Despite biomarker differences between endometritis-positive and -negative mares, pregnancy outcomes were similar, suggesting endometritis detection alone may not predict fertility outcomes in AI programs
- •Current diagnostic approaches for endometritis (cytology, culture) should be interpreted cautiously when predicting breeding success, as biomarker presence does not necessarily correlate with reduced fertility
Key Findings
- •Ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) was significantly lower in serum of cytologically endometritis-positive mares compared to negative mares
- •Uterine fluid total thiol levels, nitric oxide metabolites, protease activity, and total protein content differed significantly between endometritis-positive and -negative groups
- •Cytological examination showed greater discriminatory capability than culture testing for identifying endometritis-related biomarker changes
- •No statistically significant differences in pregnancy rates were found between mares diagnosed as endometritis-positive or -negative by either cytological or culture methods