Thoracic ultrasound assessment of lung consolidation at weaning in Holstein dairy heifers: Reproductive performance and survival
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The objective of this study was to determine the association of lung consolidation at weaning with later reproductive performance and survival. Ultrasonography of the lungs was performed at 60 d of life in recently weaned Holstein heifer calves from a single farm in New York State. Thoracic screening covered the right 2nd through 10th and left 3rd through 9th intercostal spaces and was performed using a 6.2-MHz linear transducer. Each calf was classified as not having lung consolidation (hyperechoic line with reverberation artifact with or without comet tail) or with lung consolidation (any detectable heterogeneous hypoechoic area). A total of 613 heifer calves were enrolled in the study, with 489 (79.8%) classified as not having lung consolidation and 124 (20.2%) classified as having lung consolidation. No difference in mortality was observed from 60 to 350 d of life between heifers with lung consolidation (1.6%) and without lung consolidation (2.0%). Six hundred and one nulliparous Holsteins became eligible for insemination at 350 d of life; the hazard of being removed from the herd between 350 d of life and first calving for heifers with lung consolidation at weaning was higher (hazard ratio = 4.7, 95% confidence interval = 2.1 to 10.7). Additionally, heifers without lung consolidation tended to have improved pregnancy to first artificial insemination (62.0%) compared with heifers with lung consolidation (52.5%). Overall reproductive performance was also affected as heifers with lung consolidation at 60 d of life had a lower hazard of pregnancy compared with those without lung consolidation (hazard ratio = 0.7, 95% confidence interval = 0.6 to 0.8). From 601 animals that entered the breeding period, 565 entered the milking herd and were followed during the first 3 mo of lactation. No differences in weekly average milk production were observed between animals with or without lung consolidation at weaning. Our results show that heifers with lung consolidation at weaning were less likely to get pregnant and more likely to be culled before their first parturition than heifers without lung consolidation; this difference did not continue into first lactation milk production, risk of culling, or reproductive performance.
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TUS is limited by its inability to image the lung parenchyma above the heart in large beef calves due to their substantial size and muscle mass.
“Nevertheless, the technique is limited by its inability to image the lung parenchyma above the heart in large beef calves due to their substantial size and muscle mass.”
From Strategies for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) Diagnosis and Prognosis: A Comprehensive Overview (2024) · cites this paper as [148]
The Lung Ultrasonography and Discussion sections (pages unavailable) report that the examiner could not consistently reach the right first intercostal space in Holstein dairy calves, reducing detection of lesions in the cranial right lung. They do not say that TUS cannot image lung above the heart in large beef calves or attribute the limitation to size and muscle mass. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredDistinguishing between active, treatable lung lesions and those resulting from prior, treatment-resistant conditions remains a significant challenge.
“Distinguishing between active, treatable lung lesions and those resulting from prior, treatment-resistant conditions remains a significant challenge [30,148,149,150].”
From Strategies for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) Diagnosis and Prognosis: A Comprehensive Overview (2024) · cites this paper as [148]
The Introduction (page unavailable) says there is no gold standard for diagnosing bovine respiratory disease, and Lung Ultrasonography (page unavailable) describes scoring whether consolidation is present. Neither section addresses the claimed difficulty of distinguishing active, treatable lesions from prior, treatment-resistant ones; searches for that distinction found no supporting passage. (LLM, conf=0.76)
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References 18 · Cited by 74
Research works printed but not linked: 15
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- Authors
- Teixeira, A. G. V., McArt, J. A. A., & Bicalho, R. C.
- Affiliations
- Cornell University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bicalho, R.C.
- Venue
- Journal of Dairy Science
- Publisher
- American Dairy Science Association
- Published
- 2017-04
- Volume
- 100
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 2985-2991
- ISSN
- 0022-0302 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2589080861
- Cited by
- 74
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 9.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Dairy Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal health and immunology
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Reproductive Physiology in Livestock
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Microbiology › Microbial infections and disease research
- Keywords
- lung consolidation, weaning, Holstein heifers, thoracic ultrasound, reproductive performance, culling, calf mortality, dairy cattle
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Breeding, Cattle, Female, Lactation, Milk, Reproduction, Weaning
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