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Cited by 49Microbial infections and disease researchAnimal health and immunologyPneumonia and Respiratory Infections

Differences in the association of cough and other clinical signs with ultrasonographic lung consolidation in dairy, veal, and beef calves

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Lowie, T., Van Leenen, K., Jourquin, S., Pas, M.L., Bokma, J., Pardon, B.·2022·Journal of Dairy Science
DOI 10.3168/jds.2021-21570
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Abstract

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) continues to be a leading cause of economic loss, hampered animal welfare, and intensive antimicrobial use in cattle operations worldwide. Reduction of antimicrobial use is hindered because it is still unclear which clinical signs are best monitored to reliably detect pneumonia. Also, these clinical signs may vary according to age and between breeds. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to identify clinical signs associated with ultrasound-confirmed pneumonia (lung consolidation ≥1 cm depth) pre- and postweaning in different production types (dairy, beef, and veal) and breeds. A total of 956 calves (70% Holstein-Friesian dairy and 30% Belgian Blue beef) from 84 herds were clinically examined using 24 parameters, scored using the Wisconsin and California BRD clinical scoring systems and subjected to thoracic ultrasonography. Of the calves, 42.8% and 19.5% had a lung consolidation ≥1 cm and ≥3 cm, respectively. Cough, both spontaneous and induced, was the only and best-performing clinical sign statistically associated with lung consolidation in all production types. Fever (rectal temperature ≥39.4°C) was the second most promising factor, being significant in beef and veal calves but not in dairy calves. Postweaning, none of the clinical signs studied were statistically associated with pneumonia, with the exception of cough in dairy calves. Spontaneous or induced cough as a single clinical sign outperformed any combination of clinical signs, including the Wisconsin and California respiratory disease scoring systems, but sensitivity remained low. This information can be useful to select appropriate clinical signs for continuous monitoring in precision livestock applications, targeted to a given breed and age. As a cross-sectional measurement, diagnostic accuracy of spontaneous cough (accuracy = 65.1%, sensitivity = 37.4%, specificity = 85.7%) is too low to be used as a criterion to select animals with pneumonia for antimicrobial treatment. At the group level, cough monitoring holds potential as an early warning sign, after which lung ultrasonography should follow.

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  • Animals affected with BRD complex display a spectrum of signs including fever, lethargy, and anorexia.

    “Animals affected with BRD complex display a spectrum of signs, including fever, lethargy, and anorexia [24,52,53,54].”

    From Strategies for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) Diagnosis and Prognosis: A Comprehensive Overview (2024) · cites this paper as [52]

    The Abstract identifies fever as a clinical sign in calves with BRD, and the clinical-signs table includes depressed mentation, consistent with lethargy. The Discussion says appetite was not included in the study, so this paper does not support the anorexia part of the cited sentence. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • In severe cases, BRD leads to strenuous, accelerated, open-mouthed breathing.

    “In severe cases, the disease leads to strenuous, accelerated, open-mouthed breathing [24,52,53,54].”

    From Strategies for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) Diagnosis and Prognosis: A Comprehensive Overview (2024) · cites this paper as [52]

    The Introduction says BRD can range from subclinical inflammation to life-threatening pneumonia, and the Discussion says increased respiratory rate may occur during a BRD episode. Neither passage describes strenuous or open-mouthed breathing, or establishes that accelerated breathing occurs specifically in severe cases. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Other manifestations of BRD are coughing, along with nasal and ocular discharges.

    “Other manifestations of BRD are coughing, along with nasal and ocular discharges [24,52,53,54].”

    From Strategies for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) Diagnosis and Prognosis: A Comprehensive Overview (2024) · cites this paper as [52]

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Lowie, T., Van Leenen, K., Jourquin, S., Pas, M. L., Bokma, J., & Pardon, B.
Affiliations
Ghent University (BE)
Corresponding author
Lowie, T.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Dairy Science
Publisher
American Dairy Science Association
Published
2022-07
Volume
105
Issue
7
Pages
6111-6124
ISSN
0022-0302 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3168/jds.2021-21570
OpenAlex
W4229032099
Cited by
49
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 5 · 2012: 1
FWCI
5.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Dairy Science (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Universiteit Gent
  • Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen (HBC.2019.2876 KRIS:04570416)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Microbiology › Microbial infections and disease research
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal health and immunology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections
Keywords
bovine respiratory disease, calf pneumonia, lung consolidation, thoracic ultrasound, cough, clinical signs, fever, dairy calves, veal calves, beef calves, Belgian Blue, Holstein cows, post-weaning period, precision livestock farming, early warning signs, antimicrobial use reduction
MeSH terms
Red Meat, Animals, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Cattle, Cattle Diseases, Cough, Cross-Sectional Studies, Lung, Lung Diseases, Pneumonia

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