Effects of transportation to and commingling at an auction market on the upper and lower respiratory tract bacterial communities of recently weaned calves

Abstract

Commingling at auction markets is considered a major predisposing factor for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in beef cattle. However, the extent to which commingling may affect the bacterial communities of the respiratory airways is largely unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of transportation to and commingling at an auction market on the upper and lower respiratory tract microbiotas of recently weaned beef calves.