The usage of insemination casing in collecting the cytological material from the cow’s uterus in order to reduce the method’s invasiveness

摘要

. Diseases of the uterus are one of the main factors limiting cow’s fertility. The subclinical endometritis ( endometritis subclinica ) is a particular problem among different forms of post-partal metritis in this species because of its complicated diagnosing. In order to enhance the efficiency of uterus diseases diagnostics, different methods (such as cytology) are being applied. However, taking material for cytological examination is invasive and poses the risk of damage, especially while moving the brush inwards through the cervical canal. The purpose of our study was to test the invasiveness of the method in which commonly applied, sharp-edge cytological brushes are used compared with the invasiveness of the modified method in which the edge of the brush is round (covered with an insemination cover). Material and methods. Material for the cytological examination was taken using both of the quoted methods from 60 cows which were proven to be free from endometritis. The cytological material was transferred to glass slides through rolling. The smears were fixed with Cytofix, stained with RapidHem and closely examined. The average erythrocyte and epithelial cell count in 50 fields of view at 100X magnification as well as the percentage of desquamated epithelial fragments (10 cells or more) were specified. The evaluation was conducted in three swab zones corresponding with the peak of the brush (zone I), its middle section (zone II) and its basal part (zone III). Results and conclusions. A comparison of the results of the cytological examination using both methods (sharp-edge and insemination cover) indicated that the number of erythrocytes and the percentage of desquamated epithelial fragments in zone I is an accurate way of determining the invasiveness of the procedure. While using the insemination cover does not entirely eliminate trauma to the epithelium of the cervix, it does reduce the amount of desquamated epithelial fragments. Therefore, it is less invasive. The low erythrocyte count in smears collected with the use of a brush covered with an insemination cover indicates that this type of safety measure ensures protection from a serious trauma.