Acute-phase protein concentration and metabolic status affect the outcome of treatment in cows with clinical and subclinical endometritis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of acute-phase protein concentration and metabolic status in the establishment and resistance of clinical endometritis (CE) and subclinical endometritis (SE) in dairy cows. We also characterised the treatment-related changes in the concentration of acute-phase proteins and metabolic variables in dairy cows affected by CE and SE. Cows of the SE and CE groups presented a significantly higher β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), haptoglobin and total sialic acid (TSA) concentrations compared with a healthy group of animals. A significantly lower serum calcium concentration, and a significantly higher serum aspartate aminotransferase activity in the CE group, were observed when compared with SE and healthy groups. The comparison of parameters before treatment indicated that cows suffering from CE or SE with lower concentrations of hepatic and inflammatory markers showed a better response to further treatment, and endometritis was not detected in the second examination. Moreover, decreased concentrations of BHB, acute-phase proteins and hepatic markers were observed after successful treatment for endometritis in CE and SE cows. The results obtained in this study suggest that improved liver function and a decrease in the acute-phase protein concentration might favour the resolution of endometritis after treatment.