Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Bacterial Causes of Abortions and Metritis in Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in Bareilly Region, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Infectious reproductive disorders including abortions and metritis are important hurdles towards economic dairy farming. This study was undertaken to determine infectious bacterial causes of metritis and abortions in buffaloes and determination of their antimicrobial susceptibility. Samples of stomach contents of 23 aborted foeti and uterine aspirates of 20 buffaloes suffering from metritis were received for bacteriological analysis from Referral Veterinary Polyclinic and Centre for Animal Disease Research and Diagnosis.To identify the causal bacteria standard bacteriological method for isolation and identification of bacteria and antimicrobial susceptibility assay of isolates were followed. From 13 cases of abortion only single type of bacteria (Aeromonas media 1, Alcaligenees faecalis 2, Brucella abortus 4, Enterobacter agglomerans 1, Escherichia coli 3, Klebsiella pneumoniae ssp. pneumoniae 1, K. varians1) was detected while in 10 samples more than one type of bacteria were isolated. Antibodies in high titres (≥40) were detected in serum samples of 17 aborting buffaloes showing possibility of systemic infection before abortion. Antibodies were detected against A. media (1), A. faecalis (1), B. abortus (4), E. agglomerans (2), Enterobacter amnigenus (1), E. coli (3), K. pneumoniae ssp. pneumoniae(2), Kocuria varians (1), Salmonella enterica ssp. enterica ser Dublin (1) and Xenorhabdus poinarii (1). From uterine aspirates of six animals with metritis single type of bacteria (Acinetobacter lwoffii 3, Aeromonas salmonicida ssp. salmonicida 1, E. coli 1, K. varians 1) was detected while 14 samples had more than one type of bacteria. Irrespective of source, >90% bacterial isolates were susceptible to ajowan oil, cinnamon oil, cinnamaldehyde, carvacrol and thyme oil. Tigecycline was one of the most effective antibiotics but for other antibiotics susceptibility varied with source and type of bacteria. A total of 31.58% bacteria associated with metritis were resistant to carbapenems and were more often resistant to other antibiotics (MRI=0.45) than isolates from aborted foetuses (MRI= 0.33). Though B. abortus and E. coli were main causes of abortions, there was no fixed set of bacteria causing metritis and abortions in buffaloes. Multiple drug-resistant (MDR) and carbapenem drug-resistant (CR) bacteria are more often associated with metritis than with abortions.