Calf Pneumonia

Question 1

List the important VIRAL agents responsible for causing calf pneumonia in the UK.

Answer 1

• Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR)
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
• Parainfluenza Virus III (PI₃)
• Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVD)

Question 2

List the important BACTERIAL agents responsible for causing calf pneumonia in the UK.

Answer 2

• Mannheimia (pasteurella) haemolytica (“Transit or shipping fever”)
• Pasteurella multocida
• Arcanobacterium (Actinomyces, Corynebacterium) pyogenes
• Haemophilus somnus
• Fusobacterium necrophorum

Question 3

List the important MYCOPLASMA agents responsible for causing calf pneumonia in the UK.

Answer 3

• Mycoplasma dispar
• Mycoplasma bovis
• Ureaplasma spp.

Question 4

List the factors which are thought to be important in the epidemiology of calf pneumonia

Answer 4

• Infection pressure
  
  • Environment (Overcrowding, Inadequate ventilation, Poor air quality, Humidity)
  • Sources of infection (Other affected calves, Clinically normal older animals)
• Calf defences
  
  • Immune status (Inadequate passive transfer, Decline in MDA, Stress, Concurrent disease, Nutrition)

Question 5

What are the clinical signs of shipping fever in calves?

Answer 5

• Usually develop within 4 weeks after weaning/ marketing.
• Early clinical signs usually include: depression, loss of appetite and dull eyes, temperatures of 40 degrees
• Clinical signs later in the course of disease include: rapid or laboured breathing, droopy ears, coughing, diarrhoea, staggering, nasal discharge or sudden death.

Question 6

How is shipping fever diagnosed?

Answer 6

based on clinical signs and response to treatment. Necropsy is recommended on all dead calves to confirm a diagnosis of shipping fever and find out which viruses and bacteria are involved.

Question 7

How is shipping fever treated?

Answer 7

• Generally based around antibiotic therapy.
• Good quality feed
• Good ventilation
• Corticosteroids to reduce level of exudation or NSAIDS to reduce inflammation.
• Electrolyte therapy via a stomach tube may offer some benefit also as will the administration of vitamin B.

Question 8

How can shipping fever be prevented?

Answer 8

• Good nutrition before weaning
• Reducing stress
• Purchasing source verified cattle from herds with a known health history
• Vaccination of calves against the common respiratory viruses (IBR, PI3, RCV) and bacteria (Manhaemia haemolytica, Pasturella multocida and haemophilus somnus)