Bacterial flora of genital tract healthy bitches during different stages of oestral cycle

Vaginal mucosa of bitches is not sterile environment, and a large number of pathogen and normal bacterial fl ora can be found in vaginal smear. The vaginal fl ora of bitches contains a large variety of bacterial species, including both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The microorganisms most commonly isolated are E. coli, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Pasteurella spp., Proteus spp., Bacillus spp., Corynebacterium spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Microccocus spp. The aim of the study was to determine vaginal, cervical and uterine bacterial fl ora at healthy bitches at the different stages of the oestrus cycle. Vaginal, cervical and uterine smears were obtained from 38 healthy bitches (Juvenile=5, Anoestrus=16, Proestrus=6, Oestrus=4, Metoestrus=2 and Pregnant=5). Vaginal smears were collected before ovariohysterectomy, while uterine and cervical smears were collected during the operation. The most commonly isolated microorganisms in vaginal smears were Proteus spp. (34.61%), Staphylococcus aureus (30.77%), while Staphylococcus intermedius, Micrococcus spp. and E. coli were isolated in 7.69%, and Streptococcus spp., Enterococcus spp. and Yeast in 3.85%. Uterine smears were sterile, and in only one cervical sample was isolated and identifi ed Proteus spp. Bacterial isolation at healthy bitches is very important, because vaginal fl ora of bitches contains many different microorganisms and each of them can become pathogenic when an enabling condition is created, which consequently can cause infl ammation of genital tract, septicaemia, abortion, puerperal disorders and have an infl uence on the future fertility.