Pneumonia Diagnosis Flashcards
Why do we Perform Diagnostic Tests in Farm Animal Work?
–Change of treatment plan
–Welfare
–Valuable livestock
–Disease affects growth
–Justification of medications – culture and sensitivity
–Change of management
–Failed treatments
–Vague clinical signs
–Test and remove e.g. PI in the herd
–Culling based on result e.g. Johne’s
–Guide your choice of vaccination
–Change of treatment e.g. bronchitis (URT presentation) for mycoplasma where AB will not work
–Farm assurance – pedigree herd and you want to see the disease prevelance
–Want to demonstrate your farm is a certain disease free e.g. Johnes
–Notifiable disease – not really any for calf pneumonia
–Zoonotic risk – no risk with calf pneumonia. But calf diarrhoea – crypto, salmonella, lepto etc.
What are the Reasons for not Performing Diagnostic Tests in Farm Animal Work?
–Cost – a bigger issue in farm animal as SA are insured and then there is the fact if an animal dies you have a loss of profit
•Explain this in cost benefit terms
–Will it change what you do?
–By the time results come through
•Acute disease would want to take action! Could always test and take action in the meantime
–Diagnose of clinical signs
–Individual animal rather than a herd (although may not be the case if this was a valuable animal)
–Stress to the animal e.g. BAL
–With calf pneumonia often the underlying risk factors are a bigger factor than the agent and this will often mean tat if you vaccinate against a found agent they will often just get another
What are the viruses causing respiatory disease in calves? (4)
–IBR
–PI3
–RSV
–BVD
What are the bacteria causing respiatory disease in calves? (3)
–Manheimia haemolytica
–Pasturella Multocida
–Histophyllus Somnus
•Sleepy calf syndrome – TEME and become v dozey
How can we treatof Respiratory Disease in Calves?
Virus :
–NSAIDs
–Possibly steroids
–Prophylactic AB
Bacteria:
–Antibiotics
- Include mycoplasma activity
- Draxin
–NSAIDs
–Steroids
How can we do samples for respiratory disease? Dead and alive
Dead calf – PM swabs
Live calf – BAL or nasopharyngeal swabs
Hard to know on C+S whether the pathogen is the primary cause or if it is secondary
How can we Prevent of Respiratory Disease in Calves? (9)
–Vaccination (all 4 viruses – there is a multivalent for all)
–Vaccine for M. Haemolytica
–Minimise stress
–Do not mix groups
–Housing
–Ventilation
–Colostrum management
–Do not over stock
–Adequate nutrition
How can we detect agent/antigen? (2) What can be diagnosed? (5)
•Guarded nasopharyngeal swabs
–IBR FAT (£10.25)
•Transport directly to lab
–M. haemolytica (£15.65)
- Place swab in mycoplasma transport medium
- Transport directly to lab
–M. bovis (£57.50)
- Place swab in mycoplasma transport medium
- Transport directly to lab
- (hard to culture)
–RSV & PI3
- NO VALUE
- Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)
–IBR, RSV & PI3 FAT (£10.25 each or £23.35 as a package)
•Transport directly to lab
–Bacterial culture (£15.65 + £57.50 for mycoplasma)
Detection of Agent / Antigen:
A) WHich animals to sample?
B) How many to sample?
A)
–Those affected
–Leave the healthy ones alone (sometimes this may prove beneficial If you want to decide if it is causing or just exposure)
B) 6 healthy (6-12 is okay)
What are the pros (3) and cons (1) of Detection of Agent / Antigen?
–Pros: Finding active agent, appropriate treatment, quicker as don’t have to wait for animal to seroconvert
–Cons: More expensive per agent
How can we detcted antibodies? which infections is this available for? (5)
•Paired Serology
–Detects seroconversion, available for:
- IBR, RSV, PI3, BVD, M. bovis and H. somnus
- Paired package for IBR, RSV, PI3 & BVD, £37.95
- Paired package for IBR, RSV, PI3, BVD, M. bovis and H. somnus, £65.30
Which animals do you sample for paired serology and when do you resample?
Sample those later in the disease process (for the seroconversion)
Resample at approx 3 week
What are the pros (2) and cons (1) of paired serology?
–Pros: Easier to do, less stressful for animal,
–Cons: Takes min 4 weeks to get results,
- Cobstone farm buys ~20 assorted cross bred calves at a time from market at ~10 days of age
- Holds ~100 animals total in an assortment of old farm buildings
- You are called in November. Approximately 25 calves are showing signs of disease, the outbreak started about two weeks ago. You diagnose calf pneumonia.
What diagnostic tests would you like to perform?
What is your rationale for your decision?
•What diagnostic tests would you like to perform?
Response to treatment: no lab testing at this stage treat with broad spectrum AB
Chris would not do any lab testing as their business is based on random mixing of calves brought from market so it is batch dependent.
•What is your rationale for your decision?
Without having to spend loads on money on lab tests could invest on better housing/hutches to improve
Bankhouse farm is a closed 180 cow dairy unit rearing
Cows calve predominantly in the autumn; dairy replacements are reared on farm
Bull calves and cross bred calves are sold at ~1 week old
Historically pneumonia has not been a problem on the unit
You are called in December when 8 calves are off their milk and showing acute signs of respiratory disease. The owner is keen to control the disease.
What diagnostic tests would you like to perform?
Closed herd.
Mycoplasma check as adults act as a reservoir
Blood sample to detect passive transfer of antibodies looking at total protein for AB titre.
