UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Dextrose, a sugar solution, could be utilized as an alternative treatment for metritis in dairy cows, according to a new study from Penn State University researchers.

Metritis is one of the most prominent diseases in dairy cattle, with some researchers estimating that the cumulative incidence of the disease ranges from 10-25 percent of cows in the lactation period on most dairy farms. It’s a complicated disease to prevent because most of the bacteria that cause the disease, such as E. coli, are present in the environment, said Adrian Barragan, associate research professor and extension veterinarian at Penn State. Additionally, because many types of bacteria can cause the disease, it’s difficult to create one preventative strategy like a vaccine.

Cows affected by metritis have reduced milk production, impaired reproductive performance, and are more likely to develop endometritis. But metritis has bigger impacts, too.

“Metritis, one of the most prominent diseases in cattle, is one of the main contributors to antimicrobial resistance in agriculture and dairy farms,” Barragan said.

Currently, the best form of treatment for metritis is the use of antibiotics. The most common treatments are broad-spectrum antibiotics, including ceftiofur, ampicillin, penicillin, and oxytetracycline. A study evaluating antimicrobial resistance in California commercial dairy farms concluded that all intrauterine E. coli isolated from dairy cows with metritis were resistant to ampicillin, 30.2 percent were resistant to chlortetracycline, 33.9 percent were resistant to oxytetracycline, and 8.6 percent were resistant to ceftiofur. Finding alternatives to antibiotics is paramount for the welfare of infected animals.

Dextrose is one such solution that Barragan previously researched as a potential preventative. Using sugar to treat infection is not a new idea. In fact, it has been documented that humans have used sugar to treat wounds and infections for thousands of years, and numerous scientific studies demonstrate its potential effectiveness. Dextrose and other sugar solutions work by pulling water out of bacteria, causing them to dehydrate and die. One potential challenge in developing a dextrose treatment is ensuring that the concentration of the solution can cause the desired effects, Barragan added.

Barragan and his team studied 77 cows from a central Pennsylvania dairy that were diagnosed with clinical metritis. Cows were randomly selected to receive intrauterine dextrose or systemic ceftiofur.  While the sample size was not ideal for assessing clinical cure rate, the results showed that dextrose was just as effective as ceftiofur in treating mild cases of metritis. Additionally, dextrose did not significantly alter the microbiome of the cows’ reproductive tracts, which can occur when antibiotics are used.

Barragan said that he is a firm believer that antibiotics are useful and needed, but issues arise when the medications are not used responsibly. Providing alternatives, like dextrose, that can effectively treat milder cases of metritis allows producers and herd managers to reserve the use of antibiotics for more severe cases of the disease, helping to prevent antimicrobial resistance. Additionally, antibiotic alternatives are needed for organic dairy farms where antibiotic use is restricted. To boot, dextrose is far cheaper than common antibiotics, according to an economic comparison by Barragan and his team.

More research is needed before dextrose is recommended and approved as a treatment for metritis. In the future, Barragan hopes to investigate how exactly dextrose eliminates bacteria in cattle. Most studies investigating the mechanism of action of the sugar are in vitro, meaning they take place in a laboratory setting outside of an organism. Barragan and his team are also interested in further investigating potential impacts on the microbiome of dextrose-treated cattle and if dextrose can be used to treat other infections, particularly mastitis. It’s also important to investigate how dextrose impacts the performance of animals after treatment.