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Home▶ Journals▶ Indian Journal of Veterinary Sciences and Biotechnology▶Archive▶Vol. 22 No. 5 (2026)▶Comparative Evaluation of Whiteside Test, Endometrial…
Indian Journal of Veterinary Sciences and Biotechnology
Research Article

Comparative Evaluation of Whiteside Test, Endometrial  Cytology and Uterine Lavage Optical Density for Diagnosis of  Endometritis in Postpartum Crossbred Cows

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Kunal Devlekar — Department of Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Mumbai Veterinary College, Parel, Mumbai-400012, MAFSU, Maharashtra, India
Sandeep Gaikwad — Department of Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Mumbai Veterinary College, Parel, Mumbai-400012, MAFSU, Maharashtra, India
Nilesh Dagli — Department of Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Mumbai Veterinary College, Parel, Mumbai-400012, MAFSU, Maharashtra, India
Ravindra Chaudhari — Department of Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Mumbai Veterinary College, Parel, Mumbai-400012, MAFSU, Maharashtra, India
Nidhi Shingatgeri — Department of Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Mumbai Veterinary College, Parel, Mumbai-400012, MAFSU, Maharashtra, India
Rajesh Pharande — Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Mumbai Veterinary College, Parel, Mumbai-400012, MAFSU, Maharashtra, India
Published 25 Aug 2026 Vol. 22 No. 5 (2026), pp. 28-31 ● Open access
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Abstract

The present study was conducted to evaluate Whiteside test (WST), endometrial cytology and uterine lavage sample optical density  (ULSOD) for diagnosis of endometritis in postpartum crossbred cows. A total of 34 cows between 30-45 days in milk were screened under  field conditions. Endometrial cytology samples collected using cytobrush technique were examined for polymorphonuclear neutrophil  (PMN) cells, and samples with ≥10% PMNs were considered positive. Whiteside test was performed using cervico-vaginal mucus and  5% sodium hydroxide solution, while uterine lavage samples were analysed spectrophotometrically at 620 nm. Optical density (OD)  values ≥0.052 were considered positive for uterine inflammation. The incidence of endometritis recorded by cytology, WST and ULSOD  was 73.53, 73.53 and 58.82%, respectively. Based on WST, 23.53, 35.29 and 14.71% cows showed mild, moderate and strong positive  reactions, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, diagnostic accuracy and kappa value  for ULSOD were 72, 77, 90, 50, 73.52% and 0.46, respectively, while corresponding values for WST were 92, 77.8, 92, 77.8, 88.23% and  0.72. The findings indicated that endometrial cytology remains a reliable diagnostic method, while WST serves as a rapid and economical  field screening test and ULSOD provides an objective quantitative assessment of uterine inflammation. 

 

KeywordsEndometritisCytologyULSODWhiteside testPostpartum cows

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