Respiratory Diseases
Dairy Cattle Disease
Disease description
Bovine respiratory disease,
or BRD, is costly for dairy producers, causing reduced milk production
and death loss.
These viruses and bacteria all play a role
in the BRD syndrome, and even a mild infection with one pathogen
can set the stage
for another,
weakening the animal’s immune system and making it more
susceptible to serious infection:
- Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis
(IBR) causes upper respiratory tract
infections. It is sometimes called “red nose” due
to the lesions and inflammation of the muzzle and nostrils.
IBR can cause
serious cases of pneumonia when it is complicated by bacterial
infection.
- Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) virus
is associated with BRD and several other disease syndromes. Based
on its genetic
characteristics,
the BVD virus is classified either as Type 1 or Type 2. Type 2 strains
have been implicated in severe disease outbreaks where the
animals show hemorrhagic symptoms and death loss approaches 100%.
- Bovine
Respiratory Syncyntial Virus (BRSV) invades the cell lining
of the trachea and lungs and is commonly found in BRD cases,
alone or with other agents.
- Parainfluenza Type 3 (PI3) virus alone
causes only a mild respiratory disease, but it is frequently
isolated with other pathogens
in severe cases.
- Haemophilus somnus is a bacteria that causes pneumonia
and is more prevalent in stress situations where cattle are
closely grouped.
- Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica and P.
multocida are bacteria
often implicated in shipping fever, a type of pneumonia common
in young commingled
calves.
Clinical signs
Mild to profuse discharge from the
nose and eyes, coughing, high temperatures, lesions on the muzzle
and nostrils,
edema (fluid)
in lower jaw and
neck. Animals affected with severe respiratory disease
have so much trouble breathing that they may be unable
to eat
or drink.
Reduced milk production is a common and
costly effect of BRD in dairy operations.
Disease prevention
Vaccination with a strong, effective broad-spectrum
respiratory vaccine should be part of your dairy health program.
-
Pre-breeding
or dry-off is an opportunity to build respiratory protection
in cows and heifers.
-
Replacement animals should also be vaccinated
on arrival, depending on their health history.
- Animals that will
not be kept in the milking string should be protected against
respiratory disease before they encounter the stresses and disease
exposure of shipping and the feedlot.
Vira Shield
6 + Somnus provides comprehensive, long-lasting protection
against the leading respiratory pathogens IBR, Type 1 and Type 2
BVD, BRSV and PI3, as well as H. somnus. It is the only vaccine
that contains noncytopathic (NCP) Types 1 and 2 plus cytopathic
(CP) Type 1 for broad-spectrum BVD coverage. Combinations with lepto
and vibrio are also available for complete respiratory/reproductive
protection. For producers who prefer a modified live vaccine, Arsenal® 4.1 protects against a broad spectrum of respiratory viruses -- including
protection against the BVD biotype most likely to cause a BVD-linked
respiratory outbreak: noncytopathic (NCP).
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