RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF UTERINE TUBES PATHOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES IN SLAUGHTERED NON-PREGNANT COWS IN SULAIMANI PROVINCE.

RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF UTERINE TUBES PATHOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES IN SLAUGHTERED NON-PREGNANT COWS IN SULAIMANI PROVINCE.

MARDIN O. MOHAMMED and FARAIDOON A.S.M. AMIN

Department of Surgery and Theriogenology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sulaimani University, Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region – Iraq

Email: faraidoon.muhamad@univsul.edu.iq                                                         Assiut University web-site: www.aun.edu.eg

INTRODUCTION

Farm animals are one of the fundamental pillars of the economy of Kurdistan region in general, and cows in particular as an economical unit from which people of Kurdistan get great benefit. Thus reproductive problems among cows have a direct influence on the nutritional needs of the people as well as on the economic status of the region (Amin, 2001). Infertility among farm animals is one of the great economic problems (Zerihun, 2001).

Abnormalities of uterine tubes of cows limit the transfer of male and female gametes may result in sterility or infertility. The gross abnormalities and lesions of the uterine tube like salpingitis, pyosalpinx, hydrosalpinx, occlusion, aplasia and other micro-lesion which are not palpable per rectum and could be responsible for reproduction failure in farm animals, and these tubular abnormalities may show repeat breeding of known or obscure etiology which requires to be confirmed by patency testing (Shivhare et al., 2012). According to the definition proposed by Zemjanis (1980), a repeat breeder cows refers to any cows that have failed to conceive after three or more services showing normal estrous cycles and no clinical pathologies. In repeat breeder cows, the cause of infertility might be either fertilization failure or early embryonic death Lamming & Darwash, (1998); Bage, (2002) as well as Ferreira et al. (2008) working only with repeat breeder cows, observed that these animals show some degree of oviduct occlusion.

The percentage rate of uterine tube abnormalities in cows was recorded by Khasatiya et al. (1999) who recorded the fallopian tube patency testing as 16% in cow. Fathalla et al. (2000) mentioned that the oviductal lesions had 3.5%. Kunbhar et al. (2003); Dorobantu, (2010); Shivhare et al. (2012) reported in their studies that the percentage of the disease was 60%, 9.27%, 25.2% respectively. In Iraq Amin, (2001); Ali, (2009) recorded the uterine tube abnormalities as 11.52%, 0.76%.

The present study was conducted to determine the microscopic and macroscopic lesions of abnormalities of uterine tubes in non-pregnant cows slaughtered at the abattoir of Sulaimani province, Kurdistan region-Iraq.

MATERIALS and METHOD

The study was conducted on 404 samples of non-pregnant cow^'s genitalia which were collected on two days of week from anew slaughterhouse in “Qaragol” district in Sulaimani province. The data collection was carried out from February to the end of September 2014. These samples were collected randomly from local breeds, the age of the animals was from 2- 5 years and no information regarding the identity and history of the animals were included in this study. The samples were transported in a cool box to laboratory of Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the College of Veterinary Medicine in the University of Sulaimani within three hours of the collection for gross pathological examination. The pregnant genitalia were excluded and all non-pregnant genitalia were examined visually for gross morphological or pathological abnormalities.

The uterine tubal patency assessment was carried out  according to the  method of  Dawson, (1958) by injecting colored fluid (Indian ink) at their junction with the uterine horns of both right and left sides of tubes, free flow of stain from the other side (fimbriated end) was considered indicative of non-obstructed tubes. The uterine tube was classified and ranked (Ferreira et al., 2008) according to its patency (patent; partially patent; occluded). Uterine tubes were opened by midline incision and examined for inflammation, presence of pus and other changes were recorded and tissue samples were fixed in a plastic container which contains 10% buffered formalin for histopathological examination.

RESULTS

Non- pregnant genitalia from cows were examined; it was 206(51%) genitalia without gross pathological abnormalities (with cyclic activity) while 71(17.57) of them with gross pathological lesions of uterine tubes The different types of abnormalities of uterine tube in non-pregnant cows presented in Table (1).

Table 1: Gross-pathological abnormalities of uterine tube in cow^'s genitalia in the Sulaimani abattoir.

DISCUSSION

The present abattoir study has provided useful information on the types and prevalence of gross pathological abnormalities of uterine tubes of cows in Sulaimani region. About 71 genitalia (17.57%) showed one or more abnormalities as in Table (1). 

The total percentage of uterine tubal abnormalities 17.57% as in Table (1) from the total reproductive tracts is higher than the results of other studies by Amin (2001); Ali (2009); and Dorobantu (2010) which were 11.52%, 0.76%, and 9.27% respectively, and lower than the observation mentioned by Shivhare et al. (2012) which was 25.2%.

The percentage of the pyosalpinx reaches 4.21% from the total reproductive tracts as in Fig. (1), and the result is lower than the rate of Kunbhar et al. (2003) which was 26.2% and higher than the rates of Shivhare et al. (2012) which were 0.8%. Pyosalpinx occurs following ascending uterine infections and this agree with the suggestion of Kennedy and Miller (1993).Microscopic appearance of pyosalpinx in present study is in agreement with McEntee (1990) that a heavy inflammatory cell reaction is composed of a mix of neutrophils and lymphocytes associated with a notable degree of tissue edema as in Fig. (2).

Salpingitis have an percentage of 9.15%, which were observed more bilaterally than unilaterally, grossly consisted of edematous appearance and thickening of oviduct. The percentage rate of  salpingitis in cows, in present study was higher than 0.68%, 0.54%, 3%, 1.1% and 3.2% as reported by Herenda (1987), Chaudhari and Paul-Bokko (2000), Fathalla et al. (2000), Simmenew et al. (2011) and Shivhare et al. (2012) respectively, and lower than 23% as reported by Kunbhar et al., (2003). In Iraq, the observation of salpingitis was lower than the recorded by Amin, (2001) which was 10.54% and higher than the rate diagnosed by Azawi et al. (2008) which was 1.2%. In this study, along with salpingitis adhesions, mesosalpingitis with adhesions were also found; the obtained result agreement with Ali (1989) that referred the salpingitis was associated with ovaroburasl adhesion, and the obtained result was agree with Ali (1989) that the salpingitis is very frequently associated with pathological conditions in the ovary, the most common lesion is that of retained and cystic corpus luteum. Histopathologic examination, chronic salpingitis which is in agreement with Hatipoglu et al. (2002) showed erosion of lining mucosal layer caused by inflammation and explained the chronic salpingitis, and there is denudation of mucosa resulting from inflammatory cell infiltrate of lamina propria composed of chronic inflammatory cells in form of lymphocytes as in Fig. (3).

Occludedd uterine tube revealed 0.25% as in Fig. (4). The percentage being lower than the percentage recorded by several authors (Kessy and Noakes, 1985; Chaudhari and Paul- Bokko, 2000; Shivhare et al., 2012) were12.4%, 1.%, 15.2% respectively. In Iraq, the rate of percentage in this study is lower than the rate recorded by Ali, (1989) which was 8.61% and the rate reported by Alwan, (1990) which was (4.2%) and Azawi et al. (2008) observed 1.5%. Uterine tube adhesion revealed 0.74% as in Fig. (5) which represented by adhesion between mesosalpinx and perisalpingial tissues.

The percentage of hemosalpinx in this study recorded 1.48% as in Fig. (6). It is higher than the percentage of Herenda (1987) which was 0.06% while it is lower than the percentage reported by Fathalla et al. (2000) which was (2%). Hemosalpinx is characterized by thickening the wall of uterine tube due to filling with bloody discharge, which is in agreement with Azawi et al. (2008). In Iraq the percentage of present study is higher than the percentage of (Ali, 1989; Azawi et al., 2008). The histopathologically section, is in agreement with Azawi et al. (2008) which showed the uterine tube with stromal hemorrhage in the core of the villus like folds of epithelium as in Fig. (7).

Mesosalpinx cyst showed an percentage 0.74% as in Fig. (8). The cysts found on mesosalpinx were (0.5-0.7) cm in diameter. Microscopically, present study describes a cyst called paramesonephric cyst which is a remnant of paramesonephric (Mullerian) duct system as in Fig. (9). Schlarfer and Miller, (2007) state that these cysts do not appear to have any effect on fertility but cyst formation may be associated with hormonal dysfunction, and Tsumura et al. (1982) reported that cyst formation in the uterine tube was most frequently seen in the fimbriae in cows and in the mesosalpinx in sows, and they also describe that the sex hormones and oviductal constrictions might cause oviduct cysts.

Nodules on mesosalpinx revealed 0.74% as in Fig. (10). McEntee, (1990) described that nodules are found occasionally in the mesosalpinx of queen, bitch, cow, and mare, relatively few of the nodules are large enough to be recognized readily on gross examination.

Cyst on uterine tube wall reveals 0.25% of cyst related to the wall of uterine tube as in Fig. (11). The percentage of present study is similar of the percentage observed by Kessy and Noakes (1985) which is 0.25% and is lower than the value of 16.5%, and 4.6% which is reported by  Tsumura et al. (1982) and Kunbhar et al. (2003) respectively. The result agrees with McEcntee (1990), who states that these cysts are so close to or adjacent to the uterine tube. Kessy and Noakes (1985) that a single mucosal cyst which caused partial occlusion of the tube. Microscopic examination, that was paratubal paramesonephric cyst also called Hydatid of Morgangni, showed single layer of tubal type ciliated columnar epithelium resting on fibrous tissue of the normal uterine tube as in Fig. (12), this is agreement with McEntee, (1990).

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