The Cutting Edge Veterinary Podcast

STUDENTS: Sandy Peters, Shayna Brower, and Isa Gasser
FACULTY MENTORS: Dr. Betty-Jo Bradley and Dr. John Remnant

ABSTRACT

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a prevalent disease among dairy calves and feedlot cattle. Currently, the most common diagnostic methods include lung/trachea auscultation and clinical respiratory scoring (CRS), which is used to assess clinical signs associated with BRD, including nasal discharge, cough, respiratory effort, eye discharge, ear droop or head tilt, and body temperature. The issue with these methods is that they have low sensitivity and specificity, which can lead to the development of severe disease prior to treatment or to the inappropriate use of antimicrobials. In recent years, thoracic ultrasound (TUS) has been studied and used as an additional tool in diagnosing BRD. The objective of our literature review was to investigate the efficiency of TUS to detect BRD and inform treatment decisions. TUS can be used in conjunction with CRS in herds that are susceptible to BRD to enhance diagnostic sensitivity. There is value in using TUS as part of a diagnostic protocol to guide treatment decisions as well as to predict prognosis based on the depth and area of lung consolidation lesions. Importantly, TUS can be utilized as part of herd health monitoring to inform management decisions to improve animal welfare, herd productivity, and antimicrobial stewardship.

Release date:

29 September 2024