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European patent granted by the European Patent Office

The European Patent Office granted patent EP2029026B1 for the invention ‘A device for collecting samples’ to the Estonian University of Life Sciences.  Professor of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences of the Estonian University of Life Sciences Andres Valdmann and lecturer Merle Valdmann are the authors of the patented invention.

The invention belongs to the veterinary field and can be applied to collect cytological, bacteriological and uterine secretion samples primarily from the endometrium with the aim of detecting inflammations, including subclinical endometritis and studying uterine microbiota. Professor Andres Valdmann said that endometritis causes fertility problems, increases the calving interval and services per conception and is one of the most common reasons for culling. “The incidence of different types of uterine inflammations in dairy cows can be very high, amounting up to 50% of the cows in the herd Inflammation recruits inflammatory cells to the area of tissue damage. The migration of inflammatory cells into the uterine lumen can be used to evaluate the inflammatory response of endometrium. To detect the inflammations, the presence and counts of white blood cells and bacteria in cytological and bacteriological material and the presence and quantity of inflammation markers in uterine secretion are determined. On the basis of the presence and count of white blood cells and bacteria and inflammation markers it is possible to diagnose uterine inflammations. The greatest strength of cytodiagnosis of endometritis is the association of the acquired results with post-partum pregnancy rates, whereas the maximum diagnostic precision is guaranteed by the cleanness of the samples taken. It is also important that endometrial sampling should not undermine the health of the animals."

 

The research group led by Professor Andres Valdmann did not have a reliable sampling device for obtaining cytological, bacteriological and smear samples from the uterus of cows and therefore our scientists started to seek a satisfactory solution and they decided to create the corresponding instrument themselves. "First we conducted in vitro studies at the slaughterhouse to determine the best way for obtaining cytological samples from the uteri of cows  and on the basis of the results achieved, constructed a universal instrument," said Valdmann. He assured that the device designed was indispensable for the study group helping to identify the prevalence of cytological endometritis, its risk factors and underlying mechanisms. The ultimate goal is to reduce the incidence of endometritis in cows.

 

The device has already found international application. It was used to identify the uterine microbiota of cows with the DNA fingerprinting method in collaboration with the Aarhus University in Denmark. The studies were part of Karina Elkjær’s doctoral thesis "Reproduction in the postpartum dairy cow - influence of vaginal discharge and other possible risk factors". The student of the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science Lars Petter Overn Løken successfully defended his final thesis "Endometritis in cattle - prevalence and diagnostics".  He used the developed device for taking cytological samples having beforehand acquired the methodology for cytodiagnostics of   endometritis at the Estonian University of Life Sciences. Joint research with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences into the diagnostics and prevalence subclinical endometritis of the Norwegian Red cattle as well as into the identification of the subclinical endometritis risk factors are under way.

 

Nowadays cytodiagnostics is considered the most sensitive and accurate method for diagnosing endometritis in cows. In the future the device described above could also be included in the set of diagnostic medical devices of practicing veterinarians.


The development of the device was supported by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Rural Affairs.

 

For more information about the patent please see:

http://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/originalDocument?FT=D&date=20151202&DB=EPODOC&locale=en_EP&CC=EP&NR=2029026B1&KC=B1&ND=4