PATHOLOGY - Calf Pneumonia Flashcards

Question

What is the prognosis for chronic 'cuffing' pneumonia?

Answer 1

Chronic 'cuffing' pneumonia has up to 100% morbidity but a very low mortality. Mild cases can resolve without treatment, however chronic 'cuffing' pneumonia can predispose calves to secondary infections

Answer 2

Mycoplasma bovis

Answer 3

Well demarcated foci of caseous necrosis

Answer 4

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia which is a notifiable disease

Answer 5

Mycoplasma bovis can also cause joint lesions and present as lameness

Answer 6

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) Parainfluenza virus - 3 (PI3)

Answer 7

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) | Typically affects calves less than 6 months old

Answer 8

Frequent cough Tachypnoea Hyperpnoea Nasal discharge Depression Anorexia Progressive ill thrift Pyrexia (often around 40°C) Adventitious lung sounds over cranioventral lung fields (usually crackles and fluid sounds)

Answer 9

FALSE. Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) causes upper respiratory disease, specifically acute laryngeotracheitis

Answer 10

Mannheimia haemolytica (most common) Pasteurella multocida Histophilus somni

Answer 11

An environmental stressor and/or a viral infection results in the suppression of the host immune system and the combination of stressors and primary infections is thought to break down the mucosal barrier integrity of the lower respiratory tract, allowing commensal bacteria of the upper respiratory tract, such as mannheimia haemolytica, pasteurella multocida, and histophilus somni to colonise, proliferate, and induce a secondary bacterial infection in the lower respiratory tract

Answer 12

Thromboembolic meningoencephalitis ## Footnote So, if you have a group of cows presenting with both respiratory and neurological signs, it could be histophilus somni

Answer 13

Depression Anorexia Tachypnoea Hyperpnoea Pyrexia (often over 40°C) Purulent nasal discharge Mild or absent coughing Mild or absent adventitious lung sounds

Answer 14

Fibrinous adhesions

Answer 15

Fog fever is acute bovine pulmonary emphysema and oedema

Answer 16

Fog fever is caused by the ingestion of L-tryptophan, which is a protein found in grass. When cattle are suddenly moved to grazing on lush pasture, they can consume large quantities of L-tryptophan which is rapidly converted into 3-methylindole (3-MI) by microbes in the rumen, which is toxic to alveolar cells. When cattle ingest large quantities of lush grass, the body can become overwhelmed and unable to metabolise 3-methylindole (3-MI) and it can cause severe pulmonary damage and respiratory disease

Answer 17

Mouth breathing (dyspnoea) Coughing Frothing at the mouth Seperated from the herd Collapse Sudden death | Note these patient's WILL NOT be pyrexic

Answer 18

Corticosteroids | Remember to consider if cow is pregnant as steroids can cause abortion

Answer 19

Many cattle with fog fever respond poorly to treatment

Answer 20

Gradually introduce lush pasture using strip grazing where the animals graze along a narrow strip of grass between two mobile fences which are gradually moved to give the cattle gradual access to more fresh grass

Answer 21

Chronic suppurative pneumonia is abscessation of the lungs

Answer 22

Chronic suppurative pneumonia has an unknown aetiology but it often the endpoint of calf pneumonia in combination with secondary bacterial infection

Answer 23

Weight loss Repeated episodes of acute pneumonia Epistaxis

Answer 24

The abscesses that form with chronic suppurative pneumonia can grow large enough and erode nearby arteries, resulting in epistaxis

Answer 25

Antibiotics NSAIDs Vaccination (if there is a viral outbreak) Corticosteroids if indicated Clenbuterol if indicated Fluid therapy if indicated ## Footnote Always use antibiotics for calf pneumonia even if you don't know what is causing it - often you won't know and you have a duty to care for the animal

Answer 26

1. Are the probably pathogens likely to be sensitive to the chosen antimicrobial 2. Will the antimicrobial reach therapeutic concentrations in the infected tissue 3. Is this antimicrobial available in a preparation licensed for use in this animal? 4. Is the route licensed of administration appropriate for the animal and dose the dosing interval suit the current management situation? 5. What is the minimim withdrawal period for thus antimicrobial? 6. Are there any risks to human health with the use of this antimicrobial? 7. Have you had any previous success when using this antimicrobial? 8. Have the animals on this farm previously shown a good clinical response to this antimicrobial? 9. How much does this antimicrobial cost? 10. What is the likely cost-benefit of using this antimicrobial

Answer 27

1. Farm history 2. Analyse current and previous drug and vaccination use (including anthelmintics) 3. Analyse colostrum management 4. Assess housing 5. Define disease pattern 6. Summarise findings 7. Suggest control measures 8. Review

Answer 28

What is the farm's current disease status *(i.e. which pathogens are known to be on the farm)*? How do you source your calves? Are the calves treated/vaccinated on arrival? Has there been previous disease outbreaks? Are the calves housed or on grass? How do you manage sick calves? What is the routine calf management?

Answer 29

What do you feed the calves? How do you wean the calves? When and how do you castrate the calves? When and how to you dehorn the calves? Do you carry out creep feeding? What is you anthelmintics protocol for the calves *(specifically lungworm)*? ## Footnote Remember, if these management practices aren't carried out correctly, they can be stressors for the calves, impairing their immune systems and predisposing them to infection

Answer 30

Creep feeding is the provision of supplemental feed in addition to milk to nursing calves

Answer 31

Which drugs are being used? Which vaccinations are being used? What is the duration of treatments? How are drugs and vaccinations being stored? ## Footnote You can also analyse the practice management system to see which drugs have been supplied to the farmer

Answer 32

Intranasal vaccinations Intramuscular vaccinations

Answer 33

Can be used in very young calves Stimulate local immunity in the upper respiratory tract Requires a single dose at a time (useful for treatment in the face of an outbreak) Immunity lasts 9 - 12 weeks

Answer 34

Requires two doses 4 to 6 weeks apart (so cannot be used for treatment in the face of an outbreak) More effective in calves over 6 months old where materal derived antibodies will have waned Immunity lasts approximately 6 months

Answer 35

It is important to assess housing as their is an increased prevalance of bovine respiratory disease in housed calves, so there is a strong association between the two

Answer 36

Ventilation Stocking density Mixing of calf age groups Availability of feed and water Bedding type and dryness

Answer 37

To ensure good ventilation, it is essential to maintain a uniform airflow regardless of the external conditions. The design should allow heat to rise, carrying moisture, pathogens, and noxious gases upwards and out of the shed via the outlets, as heat naturally rises. Fresh air should then flow in through the inlets at the sides of the shed, allowing the calves to breathe in clean air

Answer 38

Stocking density is crucial as overstocking can lead to excessive heat, pathogens, moisture and noxious gases, while understocking may not generate enough heat to effectively expel pathogens, moisture and noxious gases via the outlets

Answer 39

Open doors are ineffective air inlets for ventilation as they are neither controlled nor efficient and create draughts which will lower the body temperatures of the calves

Answer 40

Steam visibly rising Wet bedding Cobwebs

Answer 41

You can use smoke bombs to visually demonstrate to farmers that the ventilation system is poor. The smoke should clear from the shed within 2 to 5 minutes, if it doesn't this indicates poor ventilation

Answer 42

While slatted floors help to keep bedding dry, they typically provide minimal insulation compared to solid floors with bedding. The gaps between the slats allow cold air to flow more easily beneath the animals which can result in heat loss from the calves

Answer 43

Too much moisture Too cold Poorly ventilated

Answer 44

Improve housing Provide extra bedding Calf jackets Improve nutrition Increase milk feeding Increase milk replacer concentrations *(i.e. get better quality milk replacer)* Feed warm milk

Answer 45

1. Examine the affected groups and establish prevalance and incidence 2. Assess younger age groups to assess disease onset and risk factors 3. Assess older age groups to assess the effectiveness of previous treatments 4. Diagnostic testing to determine which pathogens are on the farm 5. Determine the age and weight at sale, along with daily liveweight gains 6. Analyse abattoir feedback on carcasses ## Footnote Determining the age and weight at sale, along with daily liveweight gains can be useful to show the farmer how things are improving when you implement control measures

Answer 46

Bovine respiratory disease composite scoring systems. This allows for standardisation of disease scoring across several groups of animals and can be used to monitor the effectiveness of interventions and changes in management practices

Answer 47

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