Why perform a cytology smear in conjunction with a uterine culture?
By Jos Mottershead Most responsible stallion owners require a “clean uterine culture” from a mare prior to breeding her live cover or possibly shipping semen to her, and this has been the case for many years. It is well known however, that the results of an endometrial swab culture alone are, at best, not a reliable indicator of uterine pathogenicity, and at worst a false positive may result in disastrous consequences. A recent Internet poll carried out on the largest non-professional equine reproduction e-mail list1 indicated that only about 50% of veterinarians routinely perform a cytology smear in conjunction with an endometrial culture. This means that there are still a large number of breeders who are operating under a mistaken belief that their mare is either “clean” when they are not, or who are treating a uterine infection that isn’t really there! What is the significance of the cytology smear? A microscope slide smear of some of the fluid harvested from the endometrial surface
