INTRAVAGINAL ADMINISTRATION OF PHARMABIOTIC/PHYTOBIOTIC CAPSULES WITH AUTOCHTHONOUS LACTIC BACTERIA FOR THE PREVENTION OF INFECTIONS OF THE BOVINE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT

MIRANDA, MARÍA HORTENCIA; NADER-MACÍAS, MARÍA ELENA FÁTIMA

SAN MIGUEL DETUCUMAN

Simposio; VI International Symposium on Lactic Acid Bacteria I Argentinean-Japanese Lactic Acid Bacteria ?Tohoku Forum for Creativity? Meeting; 2024

CERELA CONICET

The postpartum bovine reproductive tract is susceptible to infections that are treated with antibiotics and hormones, or a combination of them. The growing problem of the transmission of resistance to antimicrobials requires to reduce their use and look for alternative therapies, such as probiotics and phytobiotics. The objective of this work is to advance in the design of pharmabiotics/phytobiotics formulas with bovine beneficial autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (BBALB) for the prevention of reproductive tract infections. Hard gelatin capsules containing six different spray-dried BBALB strains (3x1010 CFU), individually or combined with phytoderivatives (Malva and Lapacho) were administered intravaginally to cows (n=30). Two doses were applied with an interval of 15 days, before the probable date of delivery, and two after the postpartum. The modification of the cultivable autochthonous microbiota from vaginal washings and the permanence/colonization of the inoculated BBALBs were evaluated, and the safety of the designed formulas was determined through nutritional-clinical and hematological-biochemical parameters in blood and serum. All the females of the different experimental groups (EG) remained healthy before parturition (5±0.0 RS). During the postpartum period, two cows from the BBALB MG (mammary strains group) and one Control showed signs of reproductive infections. The females of the different EG maintained or slightly decreased their postpartum weight (304.5 ± 4.95 KgLW). All the animals showed normal hematocrit (36.44±1.08%), and leukocyte formula within bibliographic reference values (RV) in the BBALB Vg, BBALB VG (Vaginal strains)+VE (Vegetal extracts) and BBALB MG+VE groups, no significant differences were obtained with Control. Glycemia was lower than RV=40-88.2 mg/dl, with no significant differences between EG and Control at the same sampling time. Metabolic parameters (glycemia, proteinemia, albuminemia and C-reactive protein) were normal in all the animals throughout the protocol. The cultivable microbiota of the bovine vagina was slightly modified after the administration of the capsules. Total aerobic mesophylls increased slightly in all the EGs after parturition. Enterobacteriaceae remained at 2.50±0.05 logUFC/ml during the assay in all EGs, except in BBALB Vg+VE. Lactic bacteria increased at postpartum (BBALB Vg:2.15±0.07, BBALB Vg+VE:2.00±0.02 and BBALB MG:1.91±0.05 logUFC/ml).The results indicate that the intravaginal administration of pharmabiotic/phytobiotic capsules is safe and do not produce adverse effects when administered to pre- and postpartum cows.