Clinical and microbiological evaluation of a phytotherapeutic intrauterine therapy in mares with bacterial endometritis: a preliminary study.

Overview

• This study evaluated the clinical effectiveness and antimicrobial activity of a plant-based intrauterine treatment in mares diagnosed with bacterial endometritis.
• The research compared the phytotherapeutic treatment to a control group receiving only uterine lavage and found no significant improvement in infection resolution or inflammation reduction.

Background

• Endometritis is inflammation of the uterine lining and a leading cause of subfertility in mares.
• The condition causes significant economic losses in the horse breeding industry due to reduced fertility.
• There is growing concern about antimicrobial resistance, prompting interest in alternative therapies like phytotherapeutics (plant-based treatments).

Objective

• To assess the clinical and microbiological effectiveness of a phytotherapeutic intrauterine infusion in mares with bacterial endometritis.
• To test the in vitro antimicrobial activity of the phytotherapeutic solution against bacteria isolated from the mare’s uterus.

Methods

• Twenty mares diagnosed with bacterial endometritis were enrolled based on uterine culture, cytology (cell analysis), and ultrasonographic findings.
• The mares were randomly divided into two groups of 10 each:
• Control group: Received uterine lavage (washing) followed by intrauterine infusion of lactated Ringer’s solution (a salt solution with no antimicrobial activity).
• Treated group: Received lavage followed by intrauterine infusion of the phytotherapeutic solution.
• Follow-up evaluations took place at 24, 48, and 72 hours, and 10 days after treatment, using:
• Bacteriological culture to check for bacterial growth.
• Endometrial cytology to count polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs), indicators of inflammation.
• Ultrasonography to visualize uterine condition.
• Treatment response was defined as both a negative bacterial culture and endometrial cytology showing fewer than 2 PMNs per microscope field.
• In addition, the antimicrobial effect of the phytotherapeutic solution was tested in vitro against isolated uterine bacteria.

Results

• No statistically significant difference was found between treated and control groups in bacterial clearance, cytological improvement, or overall treatment response at any time point.
• By Day 10 post-treatment, 50% of control mares and 60% of treated mares still had persistent bacterial infections.
• The most common bacteria isolated were:
• Escherichia coli
• Klebsiella species
• β-hemolytic Streptococcus species
• Staphylococcus species
• In vitro testing revealed:
• All bacterial isolates were susceptible to the antibiotic gentamicin.
• The phytotherapeutic solution showed no detectable antimicrobial activity against the isolates.

Conclusions and Limitations

• The phytotherapeutic intrauterine therapy did not demonstrate superior clinical or microbiological effectiveness compared to uterine lavage alone.
• Because the study had a small sample size and lacked an antibiotic-treated comparison group, these findings must be interpreted cautiously.
• The absence of demonstrated antimicrobial activity from the phytotherapeutic solution suggests that it may not be effective as a sole treatment for bacterial endometritis in mares.
• Further studies with larger sample sizes and additional comparison groups (e.g., antibiotic treatment) are needed to more conclusively evaluate alternative therapies.