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Cited by 174Microbial infections and disease researchAnimal health and immunologyVeterinary Medicine and Surgery

Comparison of Thoracic Auscultation, Clinical Score, and Ultrasonography as Indicators of Bovine Respiratory Disease in Preweaned Dairy Calves

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Buczinski, S., Forté, G., Francoz, D., Bélanger, A.-M.·2014·Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine
DOI 10.1111/jvim.12251PMC PMC4895545
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Abstract

Background: The diagnostic tools for bovine respiratory disease diagnosis include clinical inspection, thoracic auscultation, and ultrasonography. Hypothesis: Thoracic auscultation and clinical examination have limitations in the detection of lung consolidation in dairy calves. Animals: Prospective cohort of 106 preweaned calves from 13 different dairy herds (10 with a history of active bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in calves and 3 without suspected BRD problems). Methods: Each preweaned calf was clinically inspected using the Wisconsin calf respiratory scoring chart (CRSC) and treatment history was noted. Systematic thoracic auscultation and ultrasonography then were performed, the latter focusing on lung consolidation. Mortality was recorded over a 30-day period. Results: A total of 56 of 106 calves had ultrasonographic evidence of lung consolidation. The sensitivity of thoracic auscultation to detect consolidation was 5.9% (range, 0–16.7%). Only 41.1% (23/33) of calves with consolidated lungs had been treated previously by the producers. When adding CRSC and previous BRD treatment by the producer, sensitivity of detection increased to 71.4% (40/56). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.809 (95% CI, 0.721–0.879) for the number of areas within the lungs with consolidation and 0.743 (95% CI, 0.648–0.823) for the maximal depth of consolidation as predictors of death within 1 month after examination. These were not significantly different (P = .06). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: This study shows that thoracic auscultation is of limited value in diagnosing lung consolidation in calves. Ultrasonographic assessment of the thorax could be a useful tool to assess BRD detection efficiency on dairy farms.

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  • Behavioral scoring methods have higher sensitivity but lower specificity compared to pulmonary auscultation.

    “Behavioral scoring methods have been shown to have higher sensitivity, but lower specificity compared to pulmonary auscultation. [83].”

    From Strategies for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) Diagnosis and Prognosis: A Comprehensive Overview (2024) · cites this paper as [83]

    The Results report low sensitivity for thoracic auscultation, while the Discussion says adding the calf clinical score increased sensitivity and decreased specificity relative to lung-consolidation findings. The paper studied a clinical score based on temperature, nasal discharge, and eye and ear signs in preweaned dairy calves—not behavioral scoring methods generally—and the reported 71.4% sensitivity also incorporates prior treatment history. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Diagnostic imaging techniques such as chest ultrasound and X-rays are valuable for the antemortem diagnosis of BRD, but their utility is constrained by the cost of equipment and the expertise required for accurate interpretation.

    “Diagnostic imaging techniques such as chest ultrasound and X-rays are valuable for the antemortem diagnosis of BRD, but their utility is constrained by the cost of equipment and the expertise required for accurate interpretation [83].”

    From Strategies for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) Diagnosis and Prognosis: A Comprehensive Overview (2024) · cites this paper as [83]

    The Discussion (page not available in our copy) says thoracic ultrasonography can assess lung lesions in calves and may improve BRD detection before necropsy. It does not establish the claimed value of X-rays for BRD diagnosis or say that equipment cost and interpretation expertise constrain either technique. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Examining only the right lung could overlook up to 16% or even 30% of lesions.

    “Additionally, examining only the right lung could overlook up to 16% or even 30% of lesions [83,122].”

    From Strategies for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) Diagnosis and Prognosis: A Comprehensive Overview (2024) · cites this paper as [83]

  • Timely recognition of BRD poses a significant challenge in veterinary medicine, particularly with subclinical cases that often go undetected, leading to substantial economic losses.

    “Timely recognition of BRD poses a significant challenge in veterinary medicine, particularly with subclinical cases that often go undetected, leading to substantial economic losses [83,258,259].”

    From Strategies for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) Diagnosis and Prognosis: A Comprehensive Overview (2024) · cites this paper as [83]

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Authors
Buczinski, S., Forté, G., Francoz, D., & Bélanger, A.-M.
Affiliations
Université de Montréal (CA)
Corresponding author
Buczinski, S.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2014-01-01
Volume
28
Issue
1
Pages
234-242
ISSN
  • 0891-6640 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1676
DOI
10.1111/jvim.12251
PMC
PMC4895545
OpenAlex
W2029638924
Cited by
174
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 5 · 2012: 1
FWCI
6.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model (vor)
Locations
  • Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Microbiology › Microbial infections and disease research
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal health and immunology
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
Keywords
bovine respiratory disease, preweaned dairy calves, lung consolidation, ultrasonography, clinical scoring, diagnostic sensitivity, calf mortality
MeSH terms
Animals, Animals, Suckling, Auscultation, Cattle, Cattle Diseases, Female, Lung, Prospective Studies, Respiratory Tract Diseases, ROC Curve, Sensitivity and Specificity, Ultrasonography, Cohort Studies, Area Under Curve

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