title: Morbidity and mortality in a large Irish feedlot; microbiological and serological findings in cattle with acute respiratory disease.
abstract: A survey of morbidity and mortality was undertaken in a slatted unit containing 6399 beef cattle over a 6 month period. The mortality rate was 0.78% and the morbidity rate was 12.7%. The interval from arrival to morbidity was 25.5 days +/- 0.9. Significantly more sick cattle were identified on either Mondays or Tuesdays than were seen on Saturdays or Sundays (P < 0.005). The mean interval to mortality (all diseases) was 48.5 days +/- 7.4. Respiratory disease was the most frequently recorded disease and was responsible for 62% of morbidity and 58% of mortality. Samples from 133 cattle, taken as they presented with acute onset respiratory disease, contained antibodies to Bovine Herpes Virus -1(BHV-1) (14.3%), Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV) (78%), Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV) (94%) and Parainfluenza type 1 Virus (P13V) (99%). When the same cattle were resampled 4 to 6 weeks later antibodies were found for BHV-1 (93.2%), BVDV (99.2%), BRSV (100%) and P13V (100%). Eleven of 27 bronchoalveolar lavage samples taken from the above group of cattle exhibited positive fluorescence for BHV-1 but all 27 samples were negative for BVDV, BRSV and P13V. Pasteurella multocida was isolated from eight of the 27 lavage samples and Pasteurella haemolytica from one sample.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Healy
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Monaghan
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Bassett
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Gunn
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Markey
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Collins
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000662:veterinary; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D015994:Incidence; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009017:Morbidity; D015995:Prevalence; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary