Description of the vaginal microbiota in nulliparous ewes during natural mating and pregnancy: preliminary signs of the male preputial microbiota modulation

The vaginal microbiota plays a key role in animals' health. Understanding its diversity and composition and associated changes occurring through the reproductive cycle represents valuable knowledge to disclose the mechanisms leading to dysbiosis and eventually to infection. Even if the human vaginal microbiota has been thoroughly studied, scarce research has been conducted on the vaginal microbiota of livestock. In this study, 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing was performed on vaginal samples of ten nulliparous ewes at three different sampling points: before the estrus synchronization protocol (T0), at the time of estrus before mating (Testrus), and the day of the pregnancy diagnosis (Tpreg). Preputial samples from the three males collected pre and post-mating were also analyzed. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were the most abundant phyla in vaginal samples. The most abundant genera were Porphyromonas, Anaerococcus, and Peptinophilius. Vaginal microbiota biodiversity decreased during pregnancy. Tenericutes (Ureaplasma spp.) increased significantly at Tpreg in both pregnant and non-pregnant ewes. Differences were observed between pregnant and non-pregnant ewes at Tpreg where pregnant ewes had a significantly higher abundance of Actinobacillus spp. and Ureaplasma spp. Ewes that were diagnosed with pregnancy at Tpreg showed a decreased abundance of gram-negative bacteria such as Bacteroidales, Campylobacterales, and Enterobacteriales. In addition, a significant decrease in the relative abundances of genera within Firmicutes, such as Alloicoccus (Lactobacillales), Atopostipes (Lactobacillales), and an uncultured bacteria W5053 from Family XI (Firmicutes, Clostridiales) was observed in non-pregnant ewes at Tpreg. The four most abundant phyla in the rams' prepuce were the same as in the ewes' vagina. The most abundant genus was Corynebacterium. No major differences were observed in the ram's preputial microbiota between pre and post-mating samples. Nevertheless, the differences in the taxonomic composition of ewes' vaginal microbiota between Testrus and Tpreg could be explained by the exposure to the preputial microbiota. This study offers new insights into the effects of several key steps of the ewe's reproductive cycle such as estrus-synchronization protocol, mating, and pregnancy on ovine vaginal microbiota. The knowledge of the microbiota dynamics during the reproductive cycle can help improve the reproductive outcomes of dams by identifying biomarkers and putative probiotics.

Follicular dynamic and reproductive performance of gilts submitted to estrous cycle synchronization using two different progestogen sources

This study evaluated reproductive indicators of gilts treated with altrenogest or an intravaginal device (IVD) containing medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) for estrous cycle synchronization, starting the protocol on different days of the estrous cycle or replacing the IVD in the middle of treatment. In Experiment 1, 126 gilts were assigned, according to the day of treatment onset (Day 5 or 10 of the estrous cycle), to the following treatments: Control-5 (no hormone); Control-10 (no hormone); IVD-5 (IVD with MPA); IVD-10 (IVD with MPA); ALT-5 (altrenogest); or ALT-10 (altrenogest). The first day of the previous estrus was considered as Day 0 of the estrous cycle, and progestogen groups were treated for 14 d. In Experiment 2, 63 gilts were assigned to Control, ALT, or IVD groups. Progestogen treatment started on Day 10 of the estrous cycle, and the IVD was replaced after 7 d of treatment. In both experiments, no gilts expressed estrus during progestogen administration. In Experiment 1, the interval hormonal withdrawal-to-estrus (IHE) tended to be shorter when treatment started on Day 10 than on Day 5 (3.6 vs. 4.1 d, respectively; P = 0.09). The percentage of gilts expressing estrus after hormone withdrawal was lower for IVD-gilts (76.3%) compared to ALT (100%) and Control-gilts (92.9%; P ≤ 0.07). The percentage of persistent follicles (PFOL) was greater in IVD-10 (60.0%) and ALT-10 (33.3%) than CONT-10 (0.0%; P ≤ 0.06). The adjusted farrowing rate (AFR) was lower in IVD (65.5%) and ALT (80.5%) compared with CONT (97.4%; P ≤ 0.08). In Experiment 2, the IHE was longer for ALT than IVD (4.9 vs. 3.9 d, respectively; P < 0.01). No difference among groups was observed in the percentage of gilts expressing estrus (overall 86.4%), but the occurrence of PFOL was higher in IVD (61.5%) compared to ALT (5.3%), and Control groups (10.5%; P < 0.01). The AFR was lower in IVD (53.8%) than in ALT (88.2%) and Control (94.7%; P ≤ 0.05). The total number of piglets born was not affected by hormonal treatments in either experiment. Estrous expression was delayed in gilts treated with altrenogest or IVD-MPA. However, the reproductive performance of IVD-gilts was compromised, which was not circumvented by IVD replacement in the middle of treatment. Therefore, further studies are necessary to understand MPA pharmacodynamics and investigate alternative devices for a steady release of progestogens in gilts.

Short communication: Drug residues in goat milk after prophylactic use of antibiotics in intravaginal sponges for estrus synchronization

The aim of this study was to determine whether the prophylactic use of antibiotics in intravaginal sponges used for estrus synchronization in goats may result in the presence of inhibitors in milk and, therefore, of positive results by microbial screening tests. Ninety-eight Murciano-Granadina goats were used, divided into 7 groups of 14 animals. Intravaginal sponges were placed in 6 groups using 2 concentrations of 3 different antibiotics: doxycycline, oxytetracycline, and sulfathiazole-framycetin. The sponges of the control group were placed without antibiotics. Milk samples were collected daily until 7 d posttreatment and analyzed using 3 microbial tests. Positive samples were retested by specific receptor-binding assays to confirm the positive results. Vaginal status was evaluated by visual assessment of the external aspect of the sponges after removal. The microbial test response was not affected by either day posttreatment or dose of antibiotic used, except for oxytetracycline at the higher concentration. Moreover, no positive results were obtained using receptor-binding assays, suggesting that residues, if present in milk, did not exceed the regulatory (safety) levels established for these drugs. The occurrence of soiled sponges was higher in the control group. With respect to the dose of antibiotics used, no significant differences were found for the lower dose administered. However, a significant increase in the percentage of clean sponges was observed for the higher dose of doxycycline. We conclude that the prophylactic use of low doses of doxycycline, oxytetracycline, or sulfathiazole in intravaginal sponges used for synchronization of estrus helps to reduce clinical vaginitis in dairy goats and does not seem to be the cause of positive results in microbial inhibitor tests used to detect antibiotics in goat milk.