Ultrasound scanning of ovarian activity in postpartum Iraqi buffaloes

Endometritis is one of the most common infections in buffaloes and occurs several weeks postpartum, causes severe economic losses, including increased open days and calving intervals. This study was aimed to demonstrate the ovarian activity in postpartum buffaloes two months after calving. Moreover, this study was aimed to demonstrate the incidence of endometritis during 21–24 days postpartum in buffaloes. A total of 72 multiparous buffaloes, 3-10 years and three weeks post-birth were involved in the current research. All the buffaloes were examined weekly from week 3 after birth by routine rectal palpation, ultrasound scanning, and vaginal discharge checking. A 4-value point (0 = bright mucus, 1 = discharge with little pus, 2 = discharge with less than 50% pus discharges, and 3 = with > 50% pus discharges) was depended to classify vaginal discharges of these buffaloes. Cytobrush specimens were dependent to get endometrial samples from these animals. Ten from seventy-two buffaloes (13.8%) suffered from abnormal vaginal discharges grade (1-3) and pointed to acute clinical endometritis (CE), and about (16.6%) 12 of 72 clinically healthy buffaloes had subclinical endometritis (SCE) (≥ 8 % neutrophils). The diameter of the large follicle was significantly (p < 0.05) greater in healthy buffaloes compared with the animals that suffered from clinical and subclinical endometritis in the postpartum period. The size of the corpus luteum was significantly (p < 0.05) lower (7 mm) in clinical endometritis postpartum buffaloes than the healthy and subclinical endometritis buffaloes. In conclusion the ultrasound technique is a precise method to evaluate ovarian activity in postpartum buffaloes.